WASHINGTON, May 7 — A Texas hairdresser was sentenced to seven days in jail for keeping her salon open in violation of lockdown orders to slow the spread of the coronavirus, a move that state legislators decried yesterday as “outrageous.”
Shelley Luther, who owns Salon A La Mode, was ordered on March 28 to comply with stay-at-home restrictions imposed by the city, county and state.
When she refused, a Dallas federal court on Tuesday sentenced her to seven days in jail.
Luther “continued the operation of the Salon for seven days after the entry of the Order and so continued up until the date of this hearing,” receiving several clients per day, court documents said.
She “expressed no contrition, remorse or regret,” said the judge, who also charged Luther a fine of US$7,000 (RM30,128) — US$1,000 for every one of the days she kept her salon open.
Luther's lawyer immediately announced they intended to appeal her case.
During the trial, Luther — who also participated in anti-lockdown protests — told the judge she needed to feed her kids, local media reported.
“If you think the law is more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision but I am not going to shut the salon,” she said.
Texas's attorney general, Republican Ken Paxton, yeterday slammed the sentence as “outrageous and out of touch,” and urged the release of a mother who was “operating her hair salon in an attempt to put food on her family's table.”
Republican governor Greg Abbott also deemed the ruling excessive. “Compliance with executive orders during this pandemic is important to ensure public safety; however, surely there are less restrictive means to achieving that goal than jailing a Texas mother,” he said in a statement.
Abbott has already announced that hair salons, as well as barber shops, nail salons, tanning booths, parks, beaches and public pools will be allowed to reopen from Friday, one week after he lifted restrictions on bars and restaurants in the Lone Star state.
The United States, where the coronavirus has killed more than 72,000 people, has begun to reopen. It is up to the governors of the 50 states to lift the containment measures at their own pace. — AFP
