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Carwash Closings

KleanRide

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Letter from the SCWA. Nice to have an advocate. Hope it works...


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Good morning

Dallas County has issued a “Shelter in Place” order for residents also suggesting “non essential” businesses should close. While Governor Abbott has not issued the same on the state level – we believe other local areas may follow the action of Dallas County.

SCWA believes that many car wash operations can be defined as “ESSENTIAL” business operations and remain operating/open.

March 19, Homeland Security issued a memorandum identified as “Automotive Repair & Maintenance Facilities” as having an essential critical infrastructure workforce. Car washing is often classified under NAICS code 8111 (Automotive Repair & Maintenance).

SCWA believes car washing operations provide a basic and sanitizing service that is essential to the health and safety. There is a continuing need for automotive owners to keep their vehicles clean and safe. Uber, Lyft and Taxi drivers have a continuing need to keep their vehicles clean and safe. People transporting the elderly; people assisting as volunteers or paid staff for non-profits offering essential services; people delivering goods and food need to maintain a safe environment.

It is important to note this may not include some non - essential services offered by car wash operations. It is also important to note your business should recognize the protocols of no gathering more than 10 people and social distancing standards. Basic wash and auto maintenance services and any interior and exterior sanitizing sprays and services are valuable to the general public.

In addition the National Governor’s Association has put together a succinct overview and charting of current information on the status of COVID-19 in the United States and abroad, including such topics as: the states and countries worldwide affected by the virus with running totals; state, federal, and territorial response efforts; and numerous resources for testing, preparedness, prevention, and workforce and labor relief. We hope you find this to be an informative and helpful tool as we all work together to navigate this evolving and uncharted territory.

National Governor's Association

SCWA will host a webinar this Friday, March 27, 2020 at 10 am to discuss the status of Shelter in Place orders; as well as properly handing employee situations and the various Congressional legislative initiatives. More information on the webinar will be forwarded.

Thanks; stay safe and please let us know if you have additional questions.

Chuck
 

bert79

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This letter is a bunch of BS IMO. In no way should washing cars be considered an essential service. I own a car wash and I also work at a hospital. Unless we want to see millions die and an economic depression we MUST get the virus spread under control.
 

MEP001

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City mayors are taking initiative and shutting down businesses here. Dallas/Ft. Worth, Waco, Austin so far. I'll have to close the wash tomorrow.
 

KleanRide

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In no way should washing cars be considered an essential service.
Agreed, it's a stretch. Especially since Uber and Lyft are basically dead in the water right now. But at this point which is safer: washing a car at a self serve, or standing in line for dwindling grocery stocks?
 
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Axxlrod

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Just close. And stay home. The sooner everybody does this, the sooner we can get pat this.

Plus there is no business anyway.
 

Overachiever

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What are you guys doing to cover your bills after shutting down? I have a hard time believing this is going to get better anytime soon and am expecting these shelter in place orders to get extended.
 

Randy

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What are you guys doing to cover your bills after shutting down? I have a hard time believing this is going to get better anytime soon and am expecting these shelter in place orders to get extended.
Overachiever is right. Paying your bills is going to become a major problem for a lot of small business owners. This isn't going to go away in the next 2 weeks or 30 days, it might be a long long time before things get back to somewhat normal again. So be prepared for the long haul, because that's what I believe is going to happen. I read in the news today that most small businesses only have 6 - 10 weeks of cash reserves, tighten your belts. Vandalism and theft are going to become a major problem, desperate people do desperate things to survive. I hope that I'm wrong.
 

mjwalsh

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Randy & others,

I also could be wrong (PollyAnna?) but I think everything will be very much improved within 4 weeks etc based on:

After listening to Dr Oz (with a leading edge specialist) this afternoon, March 23rd ... that supported reasons for optimism for the ability to accelerate the various Covid-19 solutions. One solution (France based?) has already been shown to shorten the life of the virus in people from 20 days to 6 seems very positive. Manufacture time for the combo prescriptions ... once those solutions are a wee bit more proven ... will also be a factor.

Governor Burgum here in North Dakota at a live press conference today stated ... now more Covid-19 tests will have a turnaround of 24 hours vs 7-8 days. That also is a positive development. He has what I believe is more realistic closure approach ... leaving it to the discretion to "personal services category" owners to decide for themselves unless he sees evidence that they are a problem. It appears all cab companies are not running until March 30th. All indoor gyms are closed including the YMCA.

IMHO ... it is reasonable for better leaders to be cautiously optimistic!

Summertime temperatures in our northern hemisphere will probably also help. Second thought ... not sure (unkown?) ... maybe some large building air conditioning systems will increase the spread ... remember Legionaires Disease (1976?). Not a virus but still airborne! I wonder if there are exceptions to the 6 foot limit in the air movement???

I saw in an email from KR today that they are honoring their ICA show specials even though the ICA Show was cancelled.

BTW ... there is so much copper in higher denomination coins that I read that helps compared to some other payment methods!!!
 

Randy

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Mike that's all well and good, Dr Oz. They are testing a vaccine in Seattle and they estimate that it will be 12 to 14 months before it can be used on humans. Be prepared for the long haul.
 

mjwalsh

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Mike that's all well and good, Dr Oz. They are testing a vaccine in Seattle and they estimate that it will be 12 to 14 months before it can be used on humans. Be prepared for the long haul.
Randy,

They???? It appears ... not all experts agree on that drastic of a time table. No doubt ... it will be out of the comfort zone for some used too those previous minimums! It seems like some in the media are putting out too much unwarranted pessimism IMHO!
 

washnvac

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Sloburban-- I am in Delaware & Maryland. Not planning on closing any of my five washes.
 
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David Rolf

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I'm in Oregon and the state order will not affect our SS wash. At first I thought it would, but we have no employees on sight all day and the public can maintain the 6 foot rule by them selves. We only empty the trash twice a day, look for maintenance issues, and have no contact rules in place. Self service places should be fine from what I can see. There more concerned on places where people can be too close to each other. Any other Oregon operators have a different opinion?
 

KleanRide

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I'm in Oregon and the state order will not affect our SS wash. At first I thought it would, but we have no employees on sight all day and the public can maintain the 6 foot rule by them selves. We only empty the trash twice a day, look for maintenance issues, and have no contact rules in place. Self service places should be fine from what I can see. There more concerned on places where people can be too close to each other. Any other Oregon operators have a different opinion?
David, were those conditions specified in the order? Our mandate is much more vague; basically non-essential business must close.
 

Sloburban

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Sloburban-- I am in Delaware & Maryland. Not planing on closing any of my five washes.
Maybe I need to reevaluate my position.
Sloburban-- I am in Delaware & Maryland. Not planing on closing any of my five washes.
Maybe I need to reevaluate my position especially after reading the letter from the SWCA. I am an exterior only with pay vacs so nobody during the wash process exits their vehicle unless they pull to the side of the building to vacuum.
 

sparkey

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Ohio has an order to close all non essential business. It states that "auto service", and grocery is exempt. I am staying open. I consider myself auto service and have a pop machine at one wash and sell drinking water at the other so I also classify as grocery in my opinion. I have no employees on site. I doubt I will have any issues.
 

Kramerwv

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We’re pulling vac hoses and powering them down plus covering garbage receptacles. Leaving autos on for now but may be meaningless as traffic comes to a halt. Hoping these treatments that are in trials can help lessen the duration of the illness. Randy is correct, vaccine is a year away or more.
 

Greg Pack

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Discussions are already starting about how the quarantine "chemotherapy" is at risk of killing the patient. The virus is not going away soon. To stamp it out we need to develop herd immunity which requires 60-70% of the people to develop antibodies. That means just most of us are going to have to catch it and deal with it, and quarantines just drag it out. If they try to extend this quarantine more than once they better be able to point to a big pile of dead bodies as the reason. It's politically unpopular to decide that we might just have to let somebody's grandma die to get the Country back to work so I think politicians are likely waiting for the public to DEMAND quarantines be eased.
 

celica

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Interesting to see that the beer, liquor and pot shops here are considered "essential". Our bus transit is also running with people entering/exiting the back door only to protect the driver. The first 4 rows of seats behind the driver are blocked off to create 6 feet of distance between riders and driver. This ends up bunching up the riders in the back of the bus. And to top if off, it's now Free to ride the bus. One sneeze and everybody is infected. Has anybody else noticed any other dumb measures that make matters worse?
 
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