The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit gave an oddly hopeful sign Tuesday that some aspect of life goes on as normal despite the country being under emergency orders for the COVID-19 pandemic.

The appeals court issued a bid request to replace the 35-year-old wallpaper in the century-old federal courthouse at 56 Forsyth N.W. in downtown Atlanta.

"The existing wallcovering in the stairwells and elevator lobbies of the Elbert P. Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building were installed in approximately 1985. They are discolored, separated at the seams, and show wear," the request for quotation said.

Judiciary officials are telling federal courts to prepare for reopening but to take their lead from local authorities as they gradually move to hold more in-person proceedings. In guidelines provided to federal courts Monday, the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts left it to each jurisdiction to determine how best to proceed in the reopening process, just as courts also made individual decisions to move to remote work as the pandemic took hold across the country.

Georgia is under a statewide judicial emergency order until May 13. Gov. Brian Kemp began releasing businesses from his shutdown orders, starting controversially Friday with hair salons and bowling alleys—and a rebuke from President Donald Trump. But Monday, Kemp stood firm, saying at a Capitol news conference that he is also deeply concerned about people's livelihoods. He said one of the leaders of his task force got a haircut—under new safety protocols—from a stylist who said she was grateful to be going back to work because she was "about to lose her car."

Also Monday, Kemp authorized some other businesses — including restaurants — to reopen under safety guidelines for physical distance, masks and hand sanitizing. The orders haven't specifically restricted construction.

Contractors going to work on federal court wallpaper bids will be caring for a landmark.

"James Knox Taylor, supervising architect of the U.S. Treasury Department, designed the building, which was completed in 1910 and deemed by the media to be 'a great step forward in the scheme of beautifying Atlanta,'" according to a history on the U.S. General Services Administration website.

The building was renamed in 1989 to honor Elbert Parr Tuttle, "a renowned judge." Tuttle was also a decorated World War II veteran. President Dwight Eisenhower, who was the commanding general of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II, appointed Tuttle to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in 1954.

The full block-size granite building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places twice—on its own in 1974 and again in 1984 as a contributing presence within the Fairlie Poplar National Register Historic District, according to the GSA history.

The Eleventh Circuit was established in 1981 to handle appeal cases for Alabama, Florida and Georgia, and made it headquarters there.

The mission of the lowest "technically acceptable" bidder will be to "remove the existing wallcovering and install new breathable wallcovering in the stairwells and elevator lobbies on both sides" of the building's first, second, and third floors," the request said.

Deadline for the bids is May 8 at 4 p.m. Eastern Time. The work must be completed within six weeks. Proposals are to be sent Stan Peters, contracting officer, by email: [email protected].

A word of advice to the winning contractors: You can get past security with paper, but you might want to leave your cellphone in the truck.