12 things your hairstylist or barber must be doing before they can reopen

ROANOKE, Va. – As part of Phase One of Virginia’s reopening plan, personal care and personal grooming services are allowed to reopen on Friday, as long as they follow requirements mandated by the state.

Like all businesses, regardless of the type of business, they must “strictly adhere” to a list of physical distancing guidelines, enhanced cleaning and disinfection practices, and enhanced workplace safety practices provided by the state.

However, personal care and personal grooming services also have a separate, specific list of 12 mandatory requirements they must adhere to.

But first, what falls under “personal care and personal grooming services”?

• Beauty salons, barbershops, spas, massage centers, tanning salons, tattoo shops, and any other locations where personal care or personal grooming services are performed.

Here’s a look at the 12 mandatory requirements unique to personal care and grooming businesses:

1. Post signage at the entrance that states that no one with a fever or symptoms of COVID-19, or known exposure to a COVID-19 case in the prior 14 days, is permitted in the establishment.
2. Post signage to provide public health reminders regarding physical distancing, gatherings, options for high-risk individuals, and staying home if sick (samples at bottom of this document).
3. Capacity must be limited to no more than 50% of the lowest occupancy load on the certificate of occupancy while maintaining a minimum of six feet of physical distancing between all individuals as much as possible.
4. Services must be provided by appointment only, with only one appointment per service provider at a time.
5. Stagger stations with at least six feet of separation.
6. Maintain physical distancing of at least six feet within the waiting area.
7. Staggered appointments must be utilized to minimize the number of individuals congregating in a waiting area and allow time to disinfect work stations and tools in between clients.
8. Employees and service providers working in customer-facing areas are required to wear face coverings over their nose and mouth, such as using CDC Use of Cloth Face Coverings guidance.
9. Provide face coverings for clients or ask that clients bring a face covering with them that they must wear during the service. Limit services to only those that can be completed without clients removing their face covering.
10. Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after each service is performed, and, when gloves are worn, change gloves after each client’s service.
11. Perform thorough cleaning and disinfection of frequently contacted surfaces every 60 minutes; clean and disinfect all personal care and personal grooming tools after every use or discard.
12. Employers must maintain a list of the names and contact information for all clients, to include the date and time services are received.

Personal care and personal grooming businesses are encouraged, but not required to follow these best practices:

• Provide hand sanitizer at the reception area and all stations for employee and client use.
• Remove commonly touched non-essential items such as magazines, self-serve coffee, and candy jars.
• Where possible use disposable towels, capes, and linens. All reusable towels, capes, linens and other porous fabric should be laundered after single use. Non-porous capes (e.g., plastic, vinyl) should be cleaned and disinfected after single use or discarded. Towels, capes, and linens should be stored in a closed, covered container prior to use.
• When capes are used on clients, use a freshly laundered or disposable cape for each client.
• Minimize to the greatest degree possible close, direct face-to-face contact with clients, such as allowing clients to be seated prior to approaching to perform a service.
• When protective equipment such as face coverings are used, launder daily and wash hands after touching/adjusting face covering while working.
• Use separate doors to enter and exit the establishment when possible.
• Consider installing touchless door and sink systems or providing single-use barriers (e.g., deli tissues, paper towels) for use in touching door and sink handles.
• Consider limiting the maximum time of services (e.g., no more than 1 hour).