Fantastic Cuts Barber Shop and other storefronts on Atlantic Blvd. in Pompano Beach, Florida, USA on October 22, 2019. Photo: Catalina Villegas/Shutterstock.com
After a two-month shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic, hair and nail salons across the state of Florida are open again as of May 11. Barber shops are also set to reopen after the lock-down was put in place in March. Personal care establishments in Miami-Dade, Boward and Palm Beach counties, however, will remain closed until tentatively May 18, according to an executive order issued by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Saturday, May 9 in an effort to reopen the state of Florida for business.
Starting May 11, barbershops, hair salons and nail salons will be allowed to reopen in Tampa Bay, for example, but they will have some new requirements aimed at continuing to contain the spread of the coronavirus, such as social distancing and the wearing of protective masks to cover the face.
Under the new order, barbershops, cosmetology salons and cosmetology speciality salons are allowed to open as long as they adopt social distancing measures. That includes hair services, nail salons and facial specialists. Broward County and Miami-Dade County are excluded from the executive order.
The Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation issued the following orders:
All salons must operate by appointment only to limit capacity. No drop-ins allowed.
- Salons must leave 15 minutes between appointments to allow time for employees to properly disinfect spaces.
- Group appointments are not permitted.
- Employees must wear masks while performing personal services.
The department also encouraged salons to take further precautions to ensure social distancing, including cleaning and disinfecting all surfaces, tools and linens every day; providing unworn masks to clients during their appointments; removing unnecessary, frequently-touched items like magazines, menus, paper products and decor from the customer service area; and finding ways to limit capacity in waiting areas, such as asking clients to wait in their vehicles until an employee finishes cleaning and preparing their service station.
Phase one of Governor Ron DeSantis’ reopening plan, which includes all of Northeast Florida, will be allowed to open their doors to customers with enhanced safety protocols. Governor DeSantis posted a video Friday featuring Orlando barbershop owner John Henry, who made the announcement that barbershops, hair salons and nail salons will be allowed to reopen in most of the state after being shut down because of the coronavirus pandemic. DeSantis issued guidelines laid out by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for barbershops, salons and cosmetology specialty businesses to reopen.
All businesses will have to follow the mandatory provisions listed below.
- All customers will be by appointment only.
- Allow at least 15 minutes between the conclusion of an appointment and the beginning of the next appointment for proper disinfecting practices.
- No group appointments are permitted.
- Masks must be worn by all employees while performing personal services.
If you’d like to do your part, you may follow certain protocols of your own, such as: staying home if you feel unwell or if you feel like you’re getting sick. Also, if you do decide to go to your hair or nail appointment, bring your own mask. If you arrive early for your appointment, wait in your car or outside. Try to distance yourself from others (except for your stylist or nail technician, of course) and stay at least six feet away from the other person.
If you suspect your hairdresser, nail technician or another customer has coronavirus or is showing symptoms of the virus, please leave immediately.
Mike has more than 30 years of experience in marketing and public relations. He once owned his own agency and has worked with some of the largest brands in the world.
