Ross: States reopening early will tell us how ready we are to do the same

The Governor of South Carolina is reopening non-essential businesses just two weeks after shutting them down, so that as of today, you can shop for furniture, clothing, shoes, jewelry, luggage, books, and flowers anywhere in the state, while barber shops, salons and gyms remain closed.

However, next door, in the state of Georgia, starting Friday, the gyms will be reopening, as will salons, tattoo parlors, and barbershops. Can you imagine the line for the barbershop?

Then on Monday, Georgia’s restaurants and movie theaters are free to reopen – if they think people will come.

I’m not sure why the two state’s plans are so different. I can’t imagine that the virus’s behavior would change depending on which state it’s infecting.

But I know this – we will all be watching with a kind of “you-go-first” curiosity, watching and waiting as the first explorers pass through the airlock and step out onto our strange new planet.

And I really hope it goes well, because we are all slowly forgetting which order the days go… I think it goes Monday, Tuesday, Sunday, Chardonnay.

Anyway, good luck Georgia, and good luck South Carolina — the hopes of millions of bored, un-groomed citizens are riding on you.

Please wear your masks, maintain a safe no-fly zone, and don’t screw it up by getting all huggy and kissy in the haircut line.

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