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Closed over a month ago, Hairdressers, hair salons, and beauty salons are slated to reopen on May 4., the first phase of resumption of economic activities after a decree and two successive extensions of the state of emergency in Portugal.
In particular, the health and safety regulations for the first sectors to open should only be known in the coming days, however, and with less than a week to go before the promised reopening, companies and associations are preparing to anticipate manuals for good practices, which may undergo changes in accordance with the deliberations of the General Directorate of Health, but which, in essence, must be maintained.
Last Sunday, the Association of Hairdressers shared a document with guidelines for the reopening of hairdressers, hairdressers and establishments for beauty and aesthetic professionals. From strict space management, limited to half the capacity, to permanent surface disinfection and the use of protective materials, the rules aim to ensure the highest possible safety for employees and customers.
Under general standards, classrooms may add other measurements. As in other countries, some admit to imposing the use of masks not only on employees and conditioning customers’ entry on a temperature measurement.
The guidelines of the Association of Hairdressers define that the service capacity should be halved (It is recommended to leave a vacancy among clients) and subject to marking. Wait is not allowed Therefore, it is advisable that the areas intended for this purpose be reused or even disposed of.
It also depends on the professionals, according to this document, sensitize customers to bring a protective mask or visor. If not, it is up to the establishment to provide the first. All objects that customers may touch should be removed from the space, such as magazines and newspapers, price lists, brochures, tablets and product samples. Rather, the alcoholic disinfectant solution should remain visible and available and its use should be promoted.
On the part of the workers, the use of a mask and visor is mandatory (preferably in relation to the glasses). As for used clothing, it should be long-sleeved, worn only within the space, and washed daily. Alternatively, it can also be disposable, in a non-woven material with ties on the back. Footwear must be exclusively used within the premises.
Cleaning and disinfection of equipment such as chairs, manicure tables and ATMs should be intensified. Priority should be given to single-use disposable material; otherwise, it must be washed and disinfected with viricidal products or with 70% alcohol after each use. and preferably then sterilized at a temperature above 60 degrees. Spaces must have at least one pedal-operated trash can exclusively for used disposable personal protective equipment. Non-disposable work clothes, towels and combs should be machine washed with bleach and over 60 degrees.
Contacted by the Observer, the Hairdressers Association declined to comment on the matter. Like the entire industry, the organization expects progress in the coming days.
In recent days, the Government has been studying the best way for small businesses and hairdressers to start opening in stages starting next Monday. Although the decisions are only communicated on April 30, the companies, in particular the hairdressers, prepare the rules for the moment of the reopening.
This is the case of the chain Jean Louis David, which also anticipated the measures that the DGS will enact and has already prepared a guide to new practices for receiving clients in the midst of a pandemic. As an international network, the company explains to the Observer that the basis of the guidelines were the procedures already adopted by the brand in other markets.
Access to the rooms will depend on two measures. In addition to the standards indicated by the Hairdressers Association, the company will implement the temperature measurement of customers at the entrance. Clients are also asked to bring a mask, as wearing it will be mandatory within the facility.
Hygiene and safety procedures provided by the Jean Louis David chain
Employees will wear masks as well as glasses or visors. Only half the capacity of each salon will be used, according to the interval recommended by the Hairdressers Association. Disposable towels, gloves and combs will be used during service. The reusable equipment will be disinfected in front of the customer. The chain also provides handwashing and disinfection of chairs and players between each customer. In the wardrobe, the coats will be kept inside plastic covers.
“If we see that it is necessary to change the defined measures to guarantee the safety of all our customers and employees, we will naturally do so,” explains the company, confident in the reopening of the street corridors next Monday, while the spaces inserted in shopping malls “should only open from June 1.”
Jean Louis David, who also provides beauty services, talks about a high demand that will make its saloons open every day between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. after the reopening. With a reduction in the capacity of the spaces, the number of employees in each room will also be less, according to him. In total, the state of emergency affected 40 spaces throughout the country, as well as 360 workers.
Portugal is far from being the first country to include hairdressers and barbers in the list of sectors that will be reactivated in the first phase. All over the world, these spaces are returning to work and hygiene and safety measures do not vary much, starting with the neighbor. Spain, where the sector also has an opening date set for next Monday. However, eager as they are about to open the doors again, the general feeling is that it is difficult to respond to all demands with so little progress.
“We are trying to decipher the president’s words. The text is ambiguous and supports many interpretations. There is no point in starting work without clear rules, “Alejandro Fernández, spokesman for the Alliance of Hairdressing Entrepreneurs of Spain, told El Mundo. Service, by appointment only. Whenever possible with” counters or partitions “to protect customers.
In a second phase, from May 11, they will be able to reopen spaces without these protective equipment and without marks, but they will continue to comply with the two-meter minimum distance between customers, in addition to reducing the space capacity to only 30% . After making generous donations to hospitals and law enforcement, some establishments now find it difficult to find gloves, masks, and other essential personal protective equipment to reopen doors.
Resourceful salons also choose to measure customers’ temperatures right at the entrance, providing leg guards (in addition to masks) and partitions at the reception desks. However, these companies do not represent the sector, where 94% of the companies are much smaller and do not go beyond the five workers.
In DenmarkThe salons reopened on April 20, along with dentists, tattoo parlors, and a driving school. Precautionary measures were based on the most basic guidelines, with the use of masks and disinfectant gel. In Switzerland, hairdressers and hairdressers have reopened this week, with a series of alcohol gel and masks and visors by businessmen, a scenario that is also repeated in Norway.
