Hair salons won't be allowed to reopen for another week. (Justin Hicks/IPB News)
Governor Holcomb announced Friday that certain establishments may start reopening May 11. Now, experts are talking about what this means for people out of work because of the pandemic.
Kevin Brinegar is the Indiana Chamber of Commerce president and CEO. He says someone laid off because of the pandemic and then called back to work will no longer qualify for unemployment benefits.
He says no appeal process exists for this.
But you can file a complaint with the Indiana Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division if you believe your workplace is not following required health measures, he says.
“They can investigate whether the workplace is safe or whether there are any violations of current laws and regulations and that can be appealed all the way up to court,”
But even if you go to court and win, that doesn’t mean you can qualify for unemployment, Brinegar says.
He says it’s important that non-essential businesses getting ready to reopen make the work environment as safe as possible for both customers and workers.
He says if Hoosiers don’t feel safe, the economic strain on Indiana businesses will be prolonged.
Todd Haugh is an assistant professor of business law and ethics at the Indiana University Kelley School of Business. He agrees with Brinegar that business owners have a lot to think about when thinking whether they're reasy to reopen.
"It's giving people confidence that they're not going to get sick and take that infection back to those they love" he says. "You have to almost have an overzealous approach in order to instill that confidence."
He says most people still haven't been tested for the virus, which instills a feeling of uncertainty in the public.
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