Hair and beauty sector announces roadmap for re-opening

Reopening Guidelines provided for Customers and Staff in 196 salons in Westmeath

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The Hair and Beauty Industry Confederation (HABIC) today cautiously welcomes the expected announcement later this week by the government regarding the easing of restrictions, which is expected to lead to a re-opening of the personal service sector and hair and beauty salons.

In preparation for the easing of restrictions, HABIC has produced updated guidelines for its members across the country, as they look to welcome their customers back into salons.

The HABIC Reopening Guidelines are made up of a combination of the government’s Work Safely Protocol and the adoption of what the sector learned from the first two lockdowns.

The updated guidelines will provide guidance for 490 staff working in 196 hair and beauty salons in Westmeath.

Margaret O’Rourke Doherty, CEO of HABIC.

Margaret O’Rourke Doherty, CEO of HABIC, said: “It is essential that health and safety remain the priority for the sector and we are ready, as we prepare once again to welcome our clients back to our salons.

“We are proud of the track record of salons across the country since the outbreak of Covid-19 and our previous health and safety response to the virus.

"From approximately 6.8 million individual services, there have only been seven outbreaks associated with the personal grooming sector - however, as we look forward to reopening, there is no room for complacency.

“We are excited to welcome our customers back and in preparation we have provided salon owners and employees a comprehensive set of reopening guidelines, to ensure the experience is safe as well as it enjoyable.

"While closed, we have been extremely busy preparing our salons, training our teams and following the government and public health advice to ensure, we deliver the best experience, in a controlled and professional manner.

"The health and safety of our customers and that of our teams, is our number one priority,” she said.

The key advice for customers of the hair and beauty sector is to follow the public health advice and specifically the following key points in the case of salon visits:

Please do not attend salons if:

• There are any signs or symptoms of Covid-19.

• If the customer has been in close contact, with anyone who is a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19.

• If the customer has been abroad in the last 14 days.

• We kindly ask that they reschedule your appointment.

• We ask that they give due notice if cancelling or rescheduling your appointment, as cancellation policies may apply.

Appointments

• When attending appointments, customers are asked to arrive on time

• Due to decreased capacity, customers are asked to come alone

• In line with public health advice and for the purpose of contact tracing, customers will be asked a series relevant of questions

• On arrival, customers will be asked to sanitize their hands

• Customers may also be provided with a fresh face mask

• Throughout visits, customers are reminded to be mindful of social distancing .

• Regular cleaning and sanitisation will take place

• When arranging appointment, clients may be asked for a booking deposit. This is a common and standard practice across the industry

Last week HABIC wrote to the government to highlight the impact of Covid-19 on the sector in Ireland, where is it outlined the key supports needed to ensure the future sustainability of the sector where many businesses are challenged to remain as a viable going concern and which have been further challenged by a huge increase in black market trading.

HABIC has 2,500 members throughout Ireland and overall there are 9031 businesses in the sector. The economic value or GDP contribution of the sector in 2019 was €2,624 million in 2019, reduced to €1,740 million in 2020.

In 2019 the industry provided 30,800 jobs and 18,480 indirectly; with these numbers reduced to 27,000 direct jobs and 16,200 indirect jobs in 2020, and decreasing.

HABIC is a non-profit, national organisation designed to support and enhance the sustainable development of the Irish Hair and Beauty industry. It is a progressive and transformative organisation working on behalf of its members to deliver a comprehensive action plan which ensures the voice and needs of the industry are recognised by all stakeholders. www.habic.ie

Find about more about HABIC’s updated reopening guidelines here: link