Hair finally hit the indoor floor again Monday in Fresno County hair salons and barbershops.

It was a sight not seen since mid-July due to the industry’s COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

Phones rang, check-in apps went into overdrive, and sidewalk signs let passing drivers know that shops were open for business.

Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced a change in the way certain industries could open. The new rules create a four-tier, color-coded system that counties will move through based on their number of cases and the percentage of positive tests. The new process puts more power in the hands of the state instead of the counties.

Sport Clips Opens With 2-Hour Wait Times

GV Wire℠ stopped by the Sport Clips at Herndon and Brawley avenues Monday morning. Employees were armed with not only scissors and combs, but thermometers, hand sanitizer, and face masks.

A digital check-in board read like a flight board at the airport with names scattered across two long on-screen pages. Wait times of roughly two hours were seen by 10:30 a.m.

Vanesa Rios, area manager for locations in Fresno/Clovis/Turlock only had time to speak with us while cutting a client’s hair.

“Exciting to be back definitely,” said Rios. “Due to the long waits, I would definitely encourage everyone to check-in online.”

Rios said the store had planned on opening outside today but was relieved to hear the governor’s announcement.

“We’re able to come into the air conditioning, and the clients get to have their hair washed,” explained Rios. She believes the long waits will last a couple of weeks before things settle down.

Jaime Ayala says the last time he got a haircut was in July before the state shut down salons and barbershops for a second time.

“I was up at 9 o’clock making sure I was checking in online so I could get here in a timely manner,” said Ayala. His sister cuts hair for a living in San Diego and was also excited to be opening up for her customers, he said.

Sport Clips Owner Changes Hours

“There’s a new life pattern with COVID-19.”–Matt Kneeland, owner of the Sport Clips locations in Fresno, Clovis, and Turlock

GV Wire℠ spoke with Matt Kneeland, owner of the Sport Clips locations in Fresno, Clovis, and Turlock.

“There’s a new life pattern with COVID-19”, Kneeland said by phone. “Because a lot of people are working from home, so people want their haircuts even earlier in the morning.”

He thinks people have a little more flexibility in their schedules and are more inclined to get things done earlier in their day.

Kneeland says this is a nationwide trend showing up at all Sport Clips locations. The shops are open and closing an hour earlier (9 a.m.-7 p.m.) and adding more stylists in the morning to accommodate the rush.

All his employees went through several hours of training before opening Monday. A three-hour video explained about the coronavirus disease, how it’s transmitted, signs and symptoms, and how to do self- screening at home before coming to work.

Kneeland pointed to an example in Missouri as to the video’s importance. Two infected Sport Clips stylists there wore masks but didn’t spread the disease to the 139 clients they worked on. He said that one employee infected the other in the break room while they had their masks off.

Supercuts Locations Open

GV Wire℠ contacted several Supercuts locations in the Fresno area. All confirmed that they were open and had long wait times.