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‘We’re moving in the wrong direction’: Orem business owner worried what new restrictions will bring

Posted at 5:51 PM, Sep 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-22 20:59:06-04

OREM, Utah — An Orem business owner is speaking out after Governor Gary Herbert announced the cities of Orem and Provo will revert to the "orange" (moderate) level of COVID-19 restrictions in response to a recent spike in cases.

“We are moving the wrong direction. I thought kind of with the masks in place in the different cities and especially Orem, Utah County that the numbers would be heading a different direction,” said Lisa Walters, one of the managers of Creative Wigs & Hair Replacement.

Creative Wigs & Hair Replacement has been around since the 1960s in Utah. What started as one shop has grown to four. Walters, alongside her mother and her sister manage the four shops.

Business is down 35 percent compared to last year, Walters said, and the new restrictions are concerning.

“It’s really scary. We’ve been through this once before and with even more restrictions, you know, we hope they don’t close down businesses,” she said.

The downturn in business isn’t the only thing Walters is worried about. She is also concerned about the number of COVID-19 cases in Utah County growing. Creative Wigs & Hair Replacement offers both retail and services. Many of their customers are cancer patients, so the shopkeepers are paying extra attention to cleanliness.

“We clean up and sterilize after every person, we have masks, we are just really super careful,” she said.

The new mandate moves into effect Wednesday at midnight.

“We are on board for whatever it takes to move us in the right direction,” she said.

For more information on COVID-19 restrictions, click here. https://coronavirus.utah.gov/