Gov. Newsom approves reopening of barbershops, hair salons in most California counties with modifications

Phase Three: Hair Salons and barbershops reopen in most California counties

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday announced barbershops and hair salons will be allowed to reopen in 47 California counties under new guidelines.

The new restrictions will allow those businesses to reopen effective Wednesday, May 27.

Newsom said he is still working on guidelines for nail salons.

"We’re making progress, we’re moving forward. We’re not looking back, but we are walking into the unknown, the untested…and we have to be guided by the data that brought us back to this place," Newsom said during Tuesday's briefing.

A cosmetologist styles a customers hair at Parlour Salon as beauty salons, barber shops and spas begin to reopen in the wake of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, Wednesday, May 20, 2020, in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. (Photo by Jason Whitman/Nu

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The greater majority of California's 58 counties are eligible to begin entering the third stage of Newsom's reopening plan, excluding Los Angeles and Marin counties, to name a few.

Orange, Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange, and Kern counties are amongst those that meet the criteria to move forward.

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According to the state’s COVID-19 website, requirements needed to further enter into the county’s second stage are:

Stable or down trending hospitalizations

• Stable hospitalizations of COVID individuals on a 7-day average of daily percent change of less than 5% or no more than 20 COVID hospitalizations on any single day in the past 14 days.

Cases per population count and test positivity rate

• Less than 25 new cases per 100,000 residents in the past 14 days or less than 8% testing positive in the past 7 days.

Some of the new guidelines for hair salons and barbershops include:

• Provide temperature and/or symptom screenings for all workers at the beginning of their shift and any vendors, contractors, or other workers entering the establishment.

• Be prepared to cancel or reschedule customers who indicate they have any signs of illness.

• Hair salon or barbershop operators should provide and ensure workers use all required protective equipment, including eye protection and gloves when these items are required for their job duties.

• Workers and customers must use face coverings during haircutting and other close contact hair services.

• Frequently disinfect commonly used surfaces including credit card terminals, counters, reception area seating, door handles, light switches, phones, toilets, and handwashing facilities

• Encourage the use of credit cards and contactless payment systems. If electronic or card payment is not possible, customers should come with an exact cash payment or check.

• Workstations must be routinely and frequently cleaned, including between each customer appointment.

•Clean and disinfect all handles, hoses, spray nozzles, and other equipment before and after use on a customer.

• Implement measures to ensure physical distancing of at least six feet between and among workers and customers, except when providing haircutting and other close contact services

Read the full list of new guidelines here.

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