Local hair and nail professionals unhappy they still have to wait
EL CENTRO -- Barber shops, hair salons and even nail technicians are upset that even after several nearby counties allowed these shops to reopen, their shops in Imperial County remain shuttered.
Lorena Verduzco-Ogle, a barber and cosmetologist with Fifth Avenue Hair Salon and Boutique on Main Street, said it’s been more than two months, and she and her four co-workers now want to return to work.
“It doesn’t feel good.” she said. “I love what I do, and I can’t do anything (about it).”
She said she doesn’t understand how the state determines what is an essential job and what is not.
“I think all work is essential if you are doing a good job,” Verduzco-Ogle said. “I consider myself essential. When you get a good haircut, it improves self-esteem.
Since she is licensed by the state, she said she would not even think of violating the order and losing her right to cut hair.
Verduzco-Ogle said she considers herself fortunate her husband is still working because she cannot collect unemployment, but she realizes that for a lot of people, this is their doing hair or nails is their only income.
“I am still not bringing in anything,” she said. “I just want to go back to doing what
I want to do.”
She said the state should understand that people who work in hair salons or barber shops, as part of their training, are taught about sanitation practices, so they have experience in those matters.
“We will be cautious,” she said.
Her mother, Carmen Verduzco, who owns Master Fades in downtown El Centro, initially planned to stay open, but her daughter convinced her not to put her state license at risk, so she and her two other barbers have been out of work.
Her mother was fortunate as the landlord for the business on State Street was understanding of the situation.
But not everyone is so understanding.
Luis Castillo, owner of Timelezz Barber Shop in El Centro approached the El Centro City Council Friday to tell them his concerns and ask for him to be allowed to return to work.
Castillo said he has 1,500 hours training, which includes sanitation and disinfectanting for cross contamination.
After being out of work for close to 10 weeks, he said he is trying to figure out what he needs to do to return to cutting hair. He added people have called him a criminal for wanting to return to work.
Castillo said every two months he sees El Centro Regional Medical Center CEO
Dr. Adolphe Edward speaking on Facebook or somewhere else and has noticed his nicely cut and trimmed hair, implying that someone is still cutting the CEO’s hair.
Castillo told the council that he is now $7,000 in debt and has already lost one of his businesses. Before the pandemic he was making $5,000 to $6,000 a month.
“You are hurting us as an industry,” he said. “We are not getting help. We are independent contractors.”
He questioned why the council allows Walmart to stay open after so many were reportedly infected at that store but will not let barbers reopen.
“I beg you to let us go back to work,” Castillo pleaded to the council Friday afternoon.
El Centro Mayor Efrain Silva said the city and council has no authority to allow barbershops and salons to reopen because it is a state decision. The state is requiring an positive tests remain at 8 percent or less for seven days before the county can move on to reopening businesses deemed higher risk, such a hair and nail operations.
“We will advocate for you guys,” Councilman Jason Jackson said. “If it was left up to us you would probably be open right now, but it is not left up to us.”
Councilwoman Cheryl Viegas-Walker expressed a different view.
“We are not doing our job if we (simply) say, it’s not us,” she said.
The question posed to Imperial County Public Health Director Janette Angulo was if the county would shut down Castillo if he reopened being allowed to do so.
Mayor Silva told Castillo that he believes the county is really close to meeting the state metrics to move to the advanced Stage 2 phase.
Maria Bastidas, co-owner of Just Teasin’ Hair & Nail Studio in Brawley, said she has been a nail technician for 30 years, so she and the barbers at the shop became unemployed when the county and state order took effect.
To get by, she used emergency funds and received money from long-time clients and friends.
Like Verduzco-Ogle and Castillo, she said nail technicians are trained professionals on cleanliness and sanitation.
“We are prepared. We have to be prepared,” Bastidas said. “We have a state board that checks on us.”
She said it seems no one wants to talk about the money the county is losing since people are going to Yuma for necessities for necessities.
Bastidas said she underwent training for COVID-19, so she will be prepared when the restrictions are lifted.
“We are ready to do our part to keep the county safe and the people beautiful,” she said. “Next to the medical field, we are right there on sanitation.”