Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
California Allows Outdoor Haircuts, Manicures, and Massages
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 5 years ago on
July 21, 2020

Share

SACRAMENTO — California hair and nail salons may provide services outdoors under new rules announced Monday that aim to provide a lifeline for personal care services decimated by the state’s shutdown orders but an industry organization says the changes give little help to many owners.
The announcement came as Gov. Gavin Newsom reported that infections, hospitalizations and intensive care cases continued increasing but at a slower rate after the state scaled back reopening earlier this month.

They can operate under tents, canopies or other shelters so long as no more than one side is enclosed, the agency said, allowing for enough outdoor air movement to deter the buildup or spread of the virus.
“We saw a big increase, now we’re seeing some stabilization,” Newsom said. He noted the rate of positive coronavirus tests fell slightly in the last week to 7.2%.
Virus cases have surged in many parts of California in the last month. In the last two weeks alone, the number of new confirmed cases was nearly 120,000 and there were 1,357 deaths.
Newsom continued to implore Californians to avoid social gatherings and to wear masks and socially distance.
The California Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency released rules allowing hairstylists, barbers, manicurists, massage therapists, and estheticians to offer some personal care services outdoors.
They can operate under tents, canopies or other shelters so long as no more than one side is enclosed, the agency said, allowing for enough outdoor air movement to deter the buildup or spread of the virus.
The rules still bar chemical hair services including shampooing, permanent waving, bleaching, tinting, coloring, dyeing, and straightening. Electrolysis, tattooing, and piercing also are banned.
“I’m open to innovation, I truly am, but how many small businesses are going to be able to afford all of these modifications?” asked Jessie Santiago, the owner of Salon Benders in Long Beach. She planned to buy a shade structure and was considering other equipment she will need.

Businesses Face Challenge of Finding the Space to Operate

Fred Jones, attorney for the Professional Beauty Federation of California, said that while some barbershops and beauty salons are ready to reopen outdoors, many of the federation’s 53,000 members will have trouble finding appropriate space or getting accommodations from their landlords, insurers or neighbors.

Official Assembly portrait of Assemblyman Jim Patterson
“This is another example of the utter confusion that we’re seeing.” — Assemblyman Jim Patterson (R-Fresno)
“How would you like to be outside dining and you’re next to one of these tents and you have hair flying into your hamburger?” Jones said.
The new rules come a week after Newsom closed bars and indoor restaurant dining statewide, and imposed other closures on inside businesses for much of the state. Restaurants may service patrons outdoors.
Hair and nail salon owners joined by at least 16 state lawmakers of both political parties had called on the governor to make it clear that the shops could operate outside, warning that a complete shutdown could put many out of business.
“This is another example of the utter confusion that we’re seeing,” said Republican Assemblyman Jim Patterson of Fresno, who organized one of the bipartisan efforts. He called the revised rules ”a Band-Aid approach” that nonetheless will allow some shops to reopen.
Jones said operators spent thousands of dollars on personal protective gear, shields separating customers and other indoor precautions. Newsom had allowed indoor service to resume in mid-June but when virus cases spiked following the Memorial Day and Fourth of July holidays, the businesses were closed again.
“The idea that (operating outdoors) is safer than our indoor facilities is not only a joke, but a slap in our professional faces,” he said.
Meanwhile, on Monday California’s governing body for high school sports said the 2020-21 athletic seasons will begin no earlier than December. Last Friday, Newsom announced rules for reopening schools that will have most K-12 students resuming distance learning at home at the start of the new year.

Malls in San Francisco Ordered to Close Monday

The California Interscholastic Federation said the normal fall, winter and spring sports seasons will be condensed into two seasons. The federation set time frames for most playoffs and championships. Football, for example, will complete its playoffs and championships by mid-April. Actual regular season and playoff schedules will be set separately.

To the south, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer outlined new measures to improve contact tracing, including gift cards to encourage people to complete the process and a call-in center for people who have a positive test.
Elsewhere, malls in San Francisco were ordered to close Monday, about a month after they were allowed to reopen, as the county landed on the state’s watch list for areas with rising infection and hospitalization rates. Stores with direct access to the street are allowed to stay open.
Four months after the San Francisco Bay Area became the first place in the nation to issue broad stay-at-home orders to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, only one Bay Area county is not on the state watch list — San Mateo County.
To the south, Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer outlined new measures to improve contact tracing, including gift cards to encourage people to complete the process and a call-in center for people who have a positive test.
“Without a doubt the No. 1 driver of the surge that we’re experiencing today is simple to identify: People are interacting with each other and they’re not adhering to the recommended prevention measures,” she said.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Watch: City Demolishes Historic Chinatown Building to Make Way for Housing

DON'T MISS

The Mystery of Melania Trump’s Wedding Dress and an eBay Sale

DON'T MISS

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

DON'T MISS

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

DON'T MISS

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

DON'T MISS

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

DON'T MISS

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

DON'T MISS

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

DON'T MISS

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

DON'T MISS

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

UP NEXT

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

UP NEXT

California Gov. Newsom Says the Democratic Brand Is ‘Toxic’

UP NEXT

Silver Fire Grows to 1,250 Acres, Threatens Homes in Inyo County

UP NEXT

Sue or Hold Back? The University of California Does Both as It Faces Trump’s Wrath

UP NEXT

Top Vaccine Official Resigns From FDA, Criticizes RFK Jr. for Promoting Misinformation, Lies

UP NEXT

California Food Banks Brace for Funding Cuts, and Not Only From the Trump Administration

UP NEXT

Cal State Automatically Admitting High School Students With Good Grades

UP NEXT

California Democratic Lawmaker Exaggerated His Record as a Police Officer

UP NEXT

Utah Becomes the First State to Ban Fluoride in Public Drinking Water

UP NEXT

Wilmer Flores’ 3-Run Homer in the 9th Inning Propels Giants to Victory Over Reds

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

42 minutes ago

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

2 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

2 hours ago

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

2 hours ago

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

2 hours ago

Trump Administration Will Review Billions in Funding for Harvard

3 hours ago

Former MLB Pitcher CJ Wilson of Fresno on New Torpedo Bats: ‘Still Room for Innovation’

3 hours ago

Man Arrested After Shooting at Fresno’s Switch Nightclub

3 hours ago

Who Is Fresno’s ‘Fake’ ICE Agent? He Speaks Up

4 hours ago

French Far-Right Leader Marine Le Pen Barred From Seeking Office for 5 Years

4 hours ago

Watch: City Demolishes Historic Chinatown Building to Make Way for Housing

Unable to restore a historic Chinatown building, the city of Fresno began demolishing it on Monday morning. The 1920s-era Bow On Tong Associ...

4 minutes ago

4 minutes ago

Watch: City Demolishes Historic Chinatown Building to Make Way for Housing

Photo of First Lady Melania Trump
36 minutes ago

The Mystery of Melania Trump’s Wedding Dress and an eBay Sale

42 minutes ago

Heading to Sierra? Prepare for Heavy Snow

Miguel Obed Romero Reyes, 25, of Sinaloa, Mexico, pleaded guilty Monday, March 31, 2025, to trafficking more than 200,000 fentanyl pills after authorities seized the drugs during a traffic stop on Interstate 5. (DOJ)
42 minutes ago

Mexican National Caught in Fresno County Pleads Guilty to Fentanyl Trafficking

2 hours ago

CA Snowpack Is Near-Average. What Does This Mean for Water Supplies?

2 hours ago

Shohei Ohtani Adds Another No. 1 to His Resume: MLB’s Best-Selling Jersey

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) lines up for the goal line Tush Push play during the NFL championship playoff football game against the Washington Commanders, Jan. 26, 2025, in Philadelphia. (AP File)
2 hours ago

Tush Push Is the Hottest Topic at the NFL League Meetings

2 hours ago

U.S. Bank Executive Terry Dolan Dies in Plane Crash Near Minneapolis

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend