Georgia's reopening continues and coronavirus deaths top 900

ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia business owners who chose to reopen after the governor relaxed coronavirus-related restrictions gratefully welcomed back customers, while others remained satisfied in their decision to stay closed.

Russ Anderson, who owns four Ink Addiction Tattoo Studio shops in south Georgia, said Saturday that he was thrilled to finally reopen his doors a day earlier.

“I felt like a little kid at Disney World,” he said.

Gyms, tattoo shops, nail salons and barber shops were among the businesses that were allowed to open Friday after Gov. Brian Kemp relaxed a monthlong shutdown in spite of warnings from health experts and disapproval from President Donald Trump.

Another round of reopenings is set for Monday, when limited in-restaurant dining can resume and movie theaters may reopen. All the businesses have to adhere to restrictions including separating workers and enhanced sanitation.

People were already outside Anderson's main shop in Valdosta when it opened Friday, and a steady stream of customers arrived all day for a total of 50 or 60, he said. The virus outbreak forced a closure at a bad time for his shops -- tax return season is generally busy.

“Yesterday was a great day. We had a good turnout,” he said. “What we had yesterday was equivalent to a good day in tax return season.”

Sanitizing and disinfecting is always a big part of running a tattoo and piercing business, so the extra safety measures aren’t too much of a burden, he said.

There are nine tattoo artists at his main shop and some of them also do piercings. They were all ready to come back to work right away, he said, though one said he wasn’t comfortable doing oral piercings right now.

Georgia has ranked in the bottom nationally in per capita testing, a key component in...