BY THE NUMBERS

from NOLN - April 2020

by EndeavorBusinessMedia-VehicleRepairGroup

FROM THE SHOP

QUICK HITS

INDUSTRY INSIGHT

AROUND THE INDUSTRY

ADAPT

SHOP LOOK 1 8

SHOP LOOK

This operator built his shop to fill a service gap in a small town.

WEIGHING THE COST OF CLOSURE

While navigating essential and nonessential designations during the COVID-19 outbreak, shops must balance financial and health risks

BY MATT HUDSON

THE FIRST STATEWIDE STAY-AThome order came down in California on March 19 amid the COVID-19 outbreak. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order for residents to remain at home to prevent the spread of the virus. New York followed with a similar order a day later.

In reality, 100 percent of people wouldn’t be at home at all times. Residents could still leave their homes for certain activities, and the employees at those businesses were allowed to stay open. This reinforced the importance of which businesses are deemed “essential” and which ones are “nonessential.” “The supply chain must continue, and Californians must have access to such necessities as food, prescriptions, and health care,” Newsom’s order said.

Organizations like the Automotive Oil Change Association acted early to support the designation of quick lubes as “essential” so that businesses could remain open if they could safely do so. But across the country, shops still faced the difficult decision of staying open during a pandemic, as well as the inability to control the drop in business as communities hunker down and the economy slows.

What is Essential? Early in the week, as different local governments were adopting various orders or recommendations affecting essential business activities, the status for quick lubes wasn’t crystal clear.

Automotive shops in general have been deemed essential. A Nevada state order to close non-essential businesses, for example, listed “auto repair services” as essential. Whether or not that includes quick lube facilities might be open to interpretation for someone not directly involved in the industry.

“The Departments of Health issuing these orders aren’t parsing the

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