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Dauphin County, PA Moving to Green Phase Dauphin County, PA Moves to Green Phase

Dauphin County set to go green as part of Pennsylvania's reopening plan.

By Joseph Trently

Cher

(“Hurt. Scared. Unsure of what will happen.”)

Joe

That’s what was running through Cher Thomas’s mind when Governor Wolf gave the order to shut down all non-essential businesses in the state of Pennsylvania back in March, including hair salons.For Thomas, it was losing more than just her business.

Cher

(“You feel hurt because of that connection and they’re some of my very good clients, and you worry like are they going to come back? Are they going to find someone else when we open again? If I can’t get them in right away how are they going to react?”)

Joe

However, the stress wasn’t just on Thomas herself.

Cher

(“Some of my stylists got bad anxiety and stress. That all came up because this is their livelihood. This is their income. This is not just, oh we go out and play with hair every day. This is a real job like everyone else’s.”)

“Many business owners in Dauphin County like Cher are frustrated mainly because of all of the green counties that surround it. Particularly route 147 here five minutes north, leads to Northumberland County, a county that has been green for a few weeks now.”

Joe

After three months of waiting, Governor Wolf announced that Dauphin County is set to move to the green phase of Pennsylvania’s re-opening plan starting this Friday, but Thomas says they are still going to be very cautious.

Cher

(“We’re each going to stay at one spot. We’re going to wipe down that spot every time a client’s done or if they move we’ll wipe it down. Obviously wash our hands a lot. We gotta have goggles. We’re going to have the masks.”)

Joe

Thomas believes that by doing all of this, they can help ensure the safety of everyone.

Cher

(“We want to be safe. Not just for ourselves but for our clients. We don’t want this to happen again, and we’re going to do what we have to do.”)

Joe

Reporting in Millersburg, Pennsylvania.I’m Joe Trently… NCC News.

MILLERSBURG, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf announced that eight more counties in Pennsylvania will move to the “green phase” of the state’s reopening plan on Friday, June 19.

Of those eight counties, Dauphin County is one of them. The home to the state’s capital, residents in this county have been anxiously awaiting the call to move to green, especially business owners. Pennsylvania’s  red-yellow-green phases are similar to the numbered phases of reopening in New York state.

One particular business owner expressed her excitement with the county finally moving to the green phase.

Cher Thomas is the owner of Platinum Studio in Millersburg, Pennsylvania. She is one of the many business owners in the county that has been shut down since March because they were considered “non-essential.”

“It was very hard sitting there each week thinking oh maybe this is the week, and praying and hoping we will go green,” Thomas said.

Frustration was a big factor for business owners like Thomas, especially since a lot of the surrounding counties have been in the green phase for some time now.

“We had that extra pressure,” Thomas said. “Clients would call us and ask if we could reopen just because the surrounding counties were, and thought that we can just take that step when we really couldn’t.”

Thomas said how it hasn’t just been business that she’s been losing during these difficult times.

“It’s not just a haircut,” Thomas said. “We make relationships. You’re kind of losing your friends. I had a ton of clients reach out to me asking how we’re doing and how they’re doing. We’re almost like a therapist in some ways.”

Here are some of the restrictions for hair salons under the “Green Phase”:

  • 50% maximum occupancy
  • Appointment only
  • Masks are required
  • Must follow CDC and DOH social distancing and cleaning guidelines

Thomas believes that if everyone does their part, it can help defeat this virus.

“We want to be safe,” Thomas said. “Not just for us, but for our clients. We don’t want this to happen again and we’re going to do what we have to do.”

As of June 19, there will only be 13 counties left in the state of Pennsylvania that won’t be green.

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