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Official says defiant Michigan barbershop is health threat

Manke reopened on May 4 in defiance of the restrictions, saying he needed to make money.
Credit: AP
Barber Karl Manke, of Owosso, gives a free haircut on the steps of the State Capitol during a rally in Lansing, Mich., Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Barbers and hair stylists are protesting the state's stay-at-home orders, a defiant demonstration that reflects how salons have become a symbol for small businesses that are eager to reopen two months after the COVID-19 pandemic began. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

DETROIT — Michigan's chief medical officer has testified against a barber who has refused to keep his shop closed in compliance with the state's coronavirus restrictions. 

Dr. Joneigh Khaldun said during a hearing Wednesday that Karl Manke's shop in Owosso is an “imminent threat” to public health. 

Manke is challenging the suspension of his business and barber's licenses. 

The governor ordered barbershops and salons to close weeks ago because she says they pose too great a risk of spreading the virus. 

Manke reopened on May 4 in defiance of the restrictions, saying he needed to make money. Manke says the “government is not my mother.” 

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