Hair salon owners call for guidance on reopening and PPE

The hairdressing industry urgently needs guidance on what rules on social distancing and PPE will look like after the Covid-19 lockdown eases, salon owners said on Tuesday.

The National Hair & Beauty Federation said it has presented the results of a member survey to business secretary Alok Sharma.

Of 2000 respondents in the UK, 84% said they are concerned about how to maintain social distancing whenever they re-open. 74% are worried about what kind of PPE would be needed, its cost and availability.

Sacha New, owner of Wickham Hair Studio in Bexleyheath, said: “My major concern is the number of staff working and the number of clients who will be allowed in the salon at the same time. I’ll need to work this out with my team and then we can work on PPE requirements.”

Sam Burnett, the owner of Hare & Bone in Fitzrovia said: “Without Government guidelines, it is almost impossible to prepare for returning to our salons post-lockdown. Our biggest challenge will be finding a way to offer enough appointments whilst keeping everybody safe, so we can run the salons at a high enough capacity to make it economically viable to be open.”

A Government spokesperson said: “The business secretary continues to work with businesses, union leaders and the science and medical community so we can ensure workplaces are safe for those who will go back to work once the measures are relaxed and give people the confidence to return to work.”