Are personal care services safe in Stage 3?
Epidemiologist, doctor weigh in on getting beauty treatments
People in Ontario have been trickling back into hair salons and barbershops for cuts during Stage 2 of reopening, but Stage 3 goes a few steps further to allow services pertaining to the face such as facials and eyebrow grooming.
The question is, what are the risks to the customer and the worker for having such close contact?
“The reason why facial services are in Stage 3 is that they’re higher risk,” said Dr. Vinita Dubey, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health. “You can’t wear a mask if you’re getting a facial so you’re putting the worker at a higher risk of infection. They can keep their mask on when providing services, but the distance is also closer. Depending on the service, you may have very close contact with their face and droplets.”
According to the province’s Stage 3 outline, places offering personal care services can now provide facials, ear piercings, eyebrow grooming, eyelash extensions and beard grooming.
The outline stipulates that patrons must wear face coverings, except when receiving treatment in areas of the face that would normally be covered by a mask. Workers must wear personal protective equipment, physical distancing is enforced, and contact tracing and appointment-only visits are encouraged.
Dubey added that both parties should stay home if experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms and the person providing the service should wash their hands before and after they put gloves on to touch the client’s face.
It’s best for the esthetician to avoid touching areas directly such as the eyes, nose and mouth, which is why Dubey said a procedure like eyelash extensions is high risk. She also recommended workers to wear goggles or a plastic face shield in addition to the face mask to protect the eyes from droplets.
If any business in Toronto doesn’t seem to be adhering to the rules, she said to make a complaint through the city’s BodySafe program, which inspects hair and beauty salons as well as tattoo studios (similar to how DineSafe regulates the city’s restaurants).
An example of something that warrants a complaint? If a threader is using their mouth to hold the thread while doing eyebrows. Dubey said it’s fine if the person is holding the thread with their hands instead.
Colin Furness, an infection control epidemiologist and an assistant professor at the faculty of information at the University of Toronto, said that for him he would check if the place is well ventilated, everyone is wearing masks and hands are being washed and sanitized. It boils down to whether the client trusts that the salon or shop is doing their best to minimize chances of infections.
Still, he said any procedure that requires him to remove his mask would be a no-go.
“Beard trimming, facials, all of that should be a full-stop no,” he said. “For me, both parties wearing a mask properly is a prerequisite. If it has to happen, it has to happen outside but I don’t know how many places are doing that.”
While more research needs to be done, Furness pointed to a well-publicized report of two hairstylists in Missouri who tested positive for COVID-19 in May after seeing 139 clients. None of the clients showed any COVID-19 symptoms and of those who received subsequent testing, they all came back negative. Researchers believed that because the stylists and all the clients were wearing masks, it prevented the spread.
“If only the care provider is wearing protection, I’m protected from them but they’re not protected from me so I’m imperilling the worker and that’s not OK,” Furness said. “We have to think beyond our personal risks because we don’t want to participate in a chain of infections. It’s immoral to know you could be imperilling workers, and it’s just not worth it since we’re not doing crucial surgery.”