In the past few days, both Gov. Ralph Northam of Virginia and Gov. Larry Hogan of Maryland issued executive orders that greatly restrict the ability of businesses to open to the public. Fortunately, and correctly, both states have followed federal guidelines and explicitly deemed auto-repair facilities to be “essential” services, allowing them to remain operative indefinitely.
As of this time, the states have also allowed dealership showrooms to continue serving customers, and fulfilling their role as a vital cog in the nation’s transportation infrastructure. Maryland, which fully closed all “non-essential” businesses on Monday evening, explicitly exempted auto dealerships from that restriction, while Virginia’s executive order states that “non-essential” businesses must have no more than 10 patrons in their store at a given time, and that everyone must be able to keep a six-foot distance between themselves and others.
It is a privilege to be able to continue any facet of dealership operations during such an uncertain time, and particularly given the operations challenges that dealers and suppliers are facing in other states around the country with more restrictive measures. With that in mind, WANADA has worked vigilantly to emphasize to our dealers and suppliers how important it is that they create the safest possible environment for customers and employees throughout this crisis, and that they rigidly adhere to all federal, state, and local guidelines around social distancing, and workplace safety.
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