Should salons be allowed to reopen in yellow phase?
Those overdue for a haircut, pedicure or spray tan in Western Pennsylvania will have to wait a while longer. Salons aren’t permitted to reopen until the county where they’re located is cleared by the governor’s office for “phase green,” the least restrictive category in its tiered reopening plan.
On Friday, 13 counties in the Pittsburgh region will move into “yellow phase,” which allows other businesses to resume in-person services with social distancing and more safety guidelines in place.
But some local salon owners are urging Gov. Tom Wolf to consider allowing them to open their doors, too. Several of them have taken to social media with a campaign to share their views, united by the hashtag #MakePaSalonsYellow.
“If I can walk into Home Depot and Target and there are 300 people in there, I don’t see why one person 6 feet apart from them can’t sit in my business,” said stylist Heather Mifflin-Fejes. She coowns Pretty Hair Salon in Ross and Too Pretty Hair Salon in Evans City, Butler County.
Another concern: What safety precautions and extra supplies will salons need when they return to work?
“We don’t want to dump our money into things that we don’t necessarily need,” Ms. Mifflin-Fejes said.
Several salon owners said that as of Tuesday they hadn’t received information from the governor’s office or the Pennsylvania State Board of Cosmetology about any safety measures they’ll be required to follow when they reopen.
“The Department of State is working closely with each of the state boards to ensure that as businesses reopen, they do so safely and following Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control guidance,” a spokesperson for the Pennsylvania
Department of State told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in an email. The most updated information for licensees will be posted at www.dos.pa.gov/Pages/COVID-19-BPOA-Phased-Reopening.aspx.
Other salon owners say they feel prepared to open sooner than the green phase because they’ve observed strict sanitation processes even before the pandemic.
“We clean every day constantly behind our clients,” said Aliya Wray, who owns Aliya Wray Nail Salon on the South Side. Prior to COVID-19 shutdowns, she was renovating a hair studio in McKees Rocks.
She has a lot of ideas for reopening, including limiting appointments to observe social distancing, shields for nail desks, requiring that masks be worn and providing disposable finger gloves for touching payment equipment.
“We have families and grandmas and kids, too,” Ms. Wray said. “We’re not being reckless about it.”
Supporters of the #MakePaSalonsYellow movement also are pointing to nearby states where salon restrictions are being relaxed this month.
“I’ve had a few clients tell me they were going to West Virginia and Ohio to get their hair done,” Ms. MifflinFejes said. “That’s income out of our pocket going to another state. I think that’s very frustrating.”
Some salon owners find themselves seeking a middle ground when it comes to doing business. Kristen Peckich Donalson owns La Pomponnée in Mt. Lebanon and McMurray. While she’s accepted the fact that hair services are still halted, she doesn’t understand why salons haven’t been able to sell products through curb-side pickup like other retailers.
“I just don’t think there’s a one size fits all. People who have a fear of the virus have a truth. They have a reason to be fearful of it, and people who need to get back to work because they’re going to lose their business, they have a truth,” she said. “That’s going to be with them for the rest of their life if they lose their business.”
Salons were granted permission this week to move forward with curbside retail sales.
For others, being in the green phase is a safer path forward.
“I don’t see how I could be doing my job and social distance,” said Dana Bannon, who owns Pageboy salon in Millvale. “There’s no amount of [personal protective equipment] that’s going to make me feel safe being in someone’s face.”
She understands, though, why others are eager to return to work. “I am receiving unemployment. My staff is 99% at this point getting their money ... so I’m merely looking at this from a public health view, not a personal need-to-work view.”
Plus, what if her staff returns to work, gets sick from the virus and then is out of work for weeks again?
“I can’t collect unemployment then because I’m not unemployed, I’m sick.”
Despite their stances on yellow vs. green, most salon owners agree it would be helpful to have a projected timeline for moving into the green phase, in addition to details about what COVID-19 case numbers need to be to get there.
“I have clients emailing me, and our voicemail is flooded. They’re looking to me for answers,” Ms. Mifflin-Fejes said. “It’s very frustrating to not know.”