Hobby Lobby is quickly becoming the subject of scrutiny as it defies stay-at-home orders, re-opening many of its stores nationwide. Hobby Lobby is just one of many stores, however, ranging from local shops and restaurants to national chains that are attempting to circumvent stay-at-home orders to conduct business.
Hobby Lobby stores are remaining open in defiance of state lockdown orders; of the 38 states with standing lockdown orders, Hobby Lobby locations are open in at least 14 of them. The craft supply chain has attempted to keep stores open in defiance of state orders, going so far as even to issue instructions for employees on how to deal authorities if they try to close stores. Some employees, speaking on the condition of anonymity with Business Insider, recalled incidents where store managers recited scripts to health officials over the phone.
Authorities have already taken action against Hobby Lobby to ensure compliance with stay-at-home orders. In Ohio, the state Attorney General Dave Yost sent the retailer a cease and desist letter, while in Wisconsin, police were on hand to shut down stores that were defying the order.
The resistance to stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines is far from unique to Hobby Lobby, however. Resistance to guidelines and ordered closures has been shockingly commonplace throughout the United States. Reports of small businesses deliberately ignoring orders to close have begun surfacing; in Wichita, Kansas, complaints have been reaching authorities regarding many non-essential stores that are open in defiance of statewide stay-at-home orders, including nail salons, dine-in restaurants, and craft stores. In St. Louis, Missouri, the tale was mostly the same, with some 50 or so businesses defying orders to close. County officials, however, were quick to issue warning letters, with consequences of fines and jail time, if businesses did not close.
The resistance to stay-at-home orders poses a direct threat to efforts to "flatten the curve," especially as many businesses try to argue that they are indeed essential to stay open while taking little to no precautions to protect employees or customers. The issue of businesses resisting closing, however, is not going entirely unaddressed, with many state officials stating intent to modify orders to enforce closures better.