‘There’s now an uptick because of people not following the rules like yourself…’
(Claire Russel, Liberty Headlines) “The View” co-host Sunny Hostin accused Dallas salon owner Shelley Luther of contributing to the uptick in COVID-19 cases in her state after Luther reopened her salon.
“Shelley, coronavirus cases are already rising in Texas and across the country where restrictions have been lifted, and you’re worried about your staff and your customers,” Hostin said. “I mean, I would assume you’re worried about your staff and your customers getting sick, since there’s now an uptick because of people not following the rules like yourself.”
Luther reopened her salon late last month, arguing that she could not afford to stay closed any longer and that her stylists needed to feed their families.
She was slapped with a cease-and-desist letter, which she tore up.
Then, she was arrested and sentenced to seven days in jail. Luther was released shortly thereafter, though, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and state Attorney General Ken Paxton intervened.
Hostin claimed that Luther could afford to stay closed, because she received aid from the federal government through small business loans and unemployment benefits.
“You received $18,000,” Hostin said. “I understand why people feel so strongly about going back to work because they feel that the government isn’t doing its job and taking care of people, but in this instance, two days before you went to court, the money went into your account. So I’m troubled by that.”
But Luther defended her decision to reopen, reminding Hostin that the data simply does not support a prolonged shutdown.
“What we need to look at is the number of deaths, if that is plateauing at all, and to make sure that we have room in our hospital beds,” Luther explained. “And Texas has plenty of room in their beds and are able to care for the people that need to come in at this time. As a matter of fact, there’s doctors and nurses getting furloughed because there’s not enough work.”