Californians, get ready because your next haircut will be coming with a change of scenery. Just one week after California Gov. Gavin Newsom forced hair salons and barbershops across much of the state to close their doors, the governor has now announced that hair services will be moving outside.
In a tweet posted on Monday, Newsom granted hair-related businesses permission to operate outdoors so long as they follow a new set of public health guidelines.
This announcement affects 33 counties on the governor’s “coronavirus watchlist”, including Los Angeles, San Bernadino, Orange, and Ventura. Businesses in these counties were forced to close down their doors – for the second time – after a surge in coronavirus cases quickly began to impact the state.
These new guidelines which allow for hair cutting, styling, and other personal care services such as massages and manicures are not without limitations. Tattoos and piercings are restricted due to a strict hygiene requirement, as is shampooing, hair coloring, and hair perming.
New Rules
The guidelines, found on California’s COVID-19 website, seek to “provide guidance for hair salons and barbershops to support a safe, clean, outdoor environment for workers and customers. In fact, hair salon and barbershop owners are instructed to only resume operations “when they are ready and able to implement the necessary safety measures to provide for their safety and that of their customer.”
Just what are some of these measures? The 12-page document requires that under these new regulations, both employees and customers must wear masks, an outdoor reception should be available for guests to check in, stations must be at least six feet apart from each other, and surfaces must be frequently disinfected. All business owners do have the option of working under a outdoor tent or canopy, “as long as no more than one side is closed, allowing sufficient outdoor air movement.”
For more information about California’s new order, visit covid19.ca.gov.
If you’re a hairstylist, salon- or barbershop owner who is adjusting their business for the outdoors, we want to hear from you! Leave us a comment below.
