Latvian hairdressers have taken an unusual step: we cannot work any other way

“We cannot work any other way,” hairdresser Diana Silina told AFP as she prepared her work tools on an ice-covered lake near the capital Riga.

Hair salons and spas in Latvia are closed as of December 21 and no more than two people can meet outside, so the hairdressers only accept one client at a time.

“We don’t know if even this method is completely legal, but we have to try, otherwise we will have absolutely no income,” Silina said.

According to her, she has the financial support of her life partner, who did not want her to risk receiving a € 500 fine.

Ieva Brante, a supporter of the initiative and a member of the Riga City Council, has published a video of a cut in the middle of the forest, where she assures that there will be no police patrols.

“As a lawyer, I support people to find legal ways to circumvent the rules if it allows them to work and earn money,” she told Facebook.

I. Brante’s hairdresser, Zane Melnacė, told Polish media that, to circumvent the rules, he called those sessions “outdoor training.”

“I want to work! Officially! And now! Not after three weeks, two months, or maybe half a year! I can’t wait any longer, because the monthly apartment and loan payments have to be paid now,” he said.

Brante told AFP that he had received a police message after publishing the record, but had not received a fine.

During the government meeting, Health Minister Daniel Pavlut also quietly hinted at the initiative: “It’s absolutely great to stick your hair in the forest!”

However, two professional associations representing beauticians and hairdressers threaten to appeal to the government before the Constitutional Court if these people are not allowed to resume their work in any way.

“The decision to ban our services was made without consulting us and without statistics showing that the hairdresser distributes COVID-19,” said Sabina Ulbertė and Renatė Reinsonė, heads of associations.

A similar case was presented by the Association of Book Publishers, which led to the opening of bookstores in Latvia. They opened their doors earlier this week, finding no evidence that personal visits to them were related to cases of coronavirus infection.

Parliament will hold a special session on hairdressers, as 10,000 signatures after a petition calling on hairdressers and other beauty professionals to resume their work.