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Gov. Phil Murphy has ordered personal care businesses that can't comply with social distancing guidelines to close by 8 p.m. Thursday amid growing COVID-19 scares and cases.
Those include hair and nail salons, barber shops, massage parlors, eyelash shops, tattoo parlors and more.
Murphy was also considering limiting gatherings to 50 people or less, and those include funerals, weddings, house parties and religious services.
It's all in an effort to "flatten the curve" or stop the spread of the virus, that had killed nine New Jersey residents as of Thursday.
The move could cost local business owners thousands of dollars.
"I am an independent lash artist that is having a baby this year," said Kayla Sellitto, of Saddle Brook, who owns Kay Lash Beauty.
"This was my grind time to save money before I can longer work. No one knows when this will be over and it’s very scary for salon owners/freelance artists, small business owners, etc. in this industry."
Starlyn Delgado of Top Cutz 2 in Hasbrouck Heights knows closing is the right thing to do -- but it's going to hurt.
"This is the worst, losing about $1,400 a week," he said. "But life comes first."
Earlier this week, the White House ordered people to limit gatherings to 10 people or less.
"It's time to cut the crap," Murphy said during a briefing Thursday. "We simply cannot have this, we’ve got to ensure compliance no matter what it is.
"It will be enforced aggressively, we’re going to get particularly ornery about this, in fact we already have, and again we mean business. It’s not that we’re trying to be jerks. It’s that we know if we flatten the curve over here, we will lessen the pressure on the healthcare system over there and save lives."
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