JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Another round of businesses are reopening Monday in Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis says beauty salons can open their doors and take appointments, but they have to follow safety precautions.
When the doors open at salons like Island Nails in Oak Leaf, don’t expect a crowded waiting room. Owner Andy Tran says they’ll be following the guidelines to protect their clients such as appointments only and nobody allowed in the waiting room.
“I’m really really excited, I can’t wait to see my customers, I miss them a lot," Tran says.
The governor’s executive order includes a list of items salons have to do to keep everyone safe including taking 15 minutes between appointments to disinfect.
They have to follow social distancing guidelines which Tran is prepared to do though it will limit the number of customers.
“We sealed (chairs) up and put the note right here that the chair is not available," Tran says. He's leaving more than 6 feet of space between every customer in the pedicure area.
Masks will also be required for employees providing services. Several salons tell First Coast News that they will be providing masks for their customers as well, even though it is not required by the state.
The guidelines also say salons should remove often touched items like magazines.
Owners of Corasp the Salon, April and Fred Addo, are opening for 7 days a week to make up for business lost, but say they've been getting creative using social media to keep up with clients.
“We were ahead of the curve," April says. "We were launching a lot of items on Instagram live and Facebook live to encourage our clients and our guests how to take care of their hair during the quarantine."
Beauty salons have been closed for at least a month some even longer like Teased Hair Salon. Co-owner Jessica Browning says they closed a few days before the state told them to because the employees have a family at home who are at a higher risk for COVID-19.
Without access to a professional, people across the country picked up scissors and gave themselves quarantine cuts with videos on Youtube and TikTok getting thousands of views.
“We definitely have had a lot of people reach out and say they’ve cut their bangs, can’t do anything about that but let them grow," Browning says.
Several salons say their appointment books are filled as they start by rescheduling appointments from seven weeks ago.
