Coronavirus has shuttered businesses across Alabama. And whether a business is open or closed all depends on whether it has been deemed “essential” or “non-essential.”

Those are not terms Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer, is entirely comfortable with.

“It is in a way somewhat of a decision that creates winners and losers in a sense,” Harris said Friday when announcing all “non-essential” businesses in the state must close until April 18 due to the spread of coronavirus.

“We do have to make some difficult decisions about what we consider essential and non-essential,” he added. “I am not entirely comfortable with that term because all these businesses are part of our everyday lives and part of the things we all need…and certainly the people who do those jobs everyday are not essential. It’s a legal term.”

In determining what was essential vs. non-essential, Harris said Alabama looked at what other states were doing and examined businesses where close contact meant transmission was more likely to occur.

“It is a balance between keeping people working and protecting everyone and keeping them safe,” Harris said.

Non-essential businesses that are closed are divided into four categories: entertainment venues; athletic facilities and activities; close contact service providers; and retail stores. Under those headings, the closures are:

Entertainment venues

nightclubs

bowling alleys

arcades

concert venues

theaters

auditoriums and performing arts centers

tourist attractions including museums and planetariums

racetracks

indoor children's play areas

adult entertainment venues

casinos

bingo halls

venues operated by social clubs

Athletic facilities and activities

fitness centers and commercial gyms

spas and public or commercial swimming pools

yoga, barre and spin facilities

spectator sports

sports that involve interaction with another person of closer than six feet

activities that require the use of shared sporting apparatus and equipment

activities on commercial or public playground equipment

Close contact service providers:

barbershops

hair salons

waxing salons

threading salons

nail salons and spas

body art facilities and tattoo services

tanning salons

massage therapy establishments and massage services

Retail stores:

furniture and home furnishing stores

clothing, shoes, and clothing accessory stores

jewelry, luggage, and leather goods stores

department stores

sporting goods stores

books, craft, and music stores

If a business or service isn’t on that list, they can stay open but must do all it can to maintain social distancing. Non-essential closed businesses can also follow restaurants and offer curbside pick-up, as long as the store itself remains closed to the public.

What’s open?

The following is a non-inclusive list of what remains open"