On July 13th, Governor Newsom closed most salons in CA, claiming that they are high-risk workplaces, similar to bars. 

Salons are not high-risk workplaces and should be allowed to open, especially under the strict and effective protocols required after the first closure. Licensed beauty professionals undergo a minimum of 1,600 hours of State-mandated education and testing based on safety, sanitization and disinfection. By any measure, they are experts in exactly what is needed right now. 

Following the June re-opening, only 3 of our 2,200 beauty professionals contracted Covid. That’s a 0.1% infection rate versus the 1.0% infection rate for the general public in CA. Other salons are reporting similarly-low numbers of infections. It’s been well-reported that in Missouri, two hairdressers with covid serviced 139 clients and not one client was infected. To categorize salons (with licensed sanitization experts following new stringent protocols) the same as bars and restaurants (where workers untrained in sanitization are passing food, dishes and implements in close proximity to many more customers not required to wear masks) is insulting to the over 600,000 licensed professionals and shows a lapse in understanding and judgement from our government decision makers. 

For a vast majority of our industry, performing haircuts outside is unworkable and less safe than doing so inside a CA licensed and properly sanitized establishment. It creates more problems than it solves, and in fact, primarily serves the male customer, not the female. Our female beauty professionals are particularly vulnerable, financially, at this time, and deserve better from governmental authorities.

Please look at the facts; California salons are safe to open inside under the existing strict and effective protocols.