SUNBELIEVABLE

Staten Island Tanning Salon Reopens in Defiance of Lockdown—for Less Than a Day

Bobby Catone said he’d met all the conditions for reopening despite the continuance of the New York’s stay-at-home order.

A Staten Island tanning salon reopened Thursday in defiance of the state’s shelter-in-place orders only to close the same day when its owner faced a $1,000 fine and the potential permanent closure of his salon. Bobby Catone, owner of Sunbelievable, staged a rally as he opened his doors Thursday and told ABC7 that he’s met the benchmarks for reopening set by the CDC, though New York has not set a date for when salons, deemed high risk for coronavirus transmission, can reopen. He posted a banner in the door of his establishment reading “All businesses are essential.” But police issued Catone a summons, a $1,000 ticket, and told him he could face jail time and a shutdown of his business by the health department.