Hair salons, barbershops should not open first amid pandemic, stylist says

To the delight of many customers, Alberta stylists and barbers may soon be back to trimming tresses and buzzing beards but not everyone in the industry is keen about the prospect of putting customers back in the chair.

"I wouldn't say I'm eager. I think it's too early," said Bonnie Bentley, a hairstylist who works out of Vivid Image Studio Salon in Edmonton's Oliver neighbourhood.

Barbershops and hair salons are set to reopen in thefirst phase of the provincial government's tiered relaunch strategy.

If efforts to control the spread of COVID-19 continue to be effective, the businesses may be allowed to reopen as early as May 14.

Bentley said many stylists are worried about the health risks of returning to the salon.

"They're scared of getting infected," she said in an interview Wednesday with CBC Radio's Edmonton AM.

"I understand the need to pay your bills. But at the same time, I just feel that it's not an essential service. It's too early to risk spreading so many germs."

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Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Deena Hinshaw has said there are no "entirely risk-free options" during the relaunch, and provincial officials are working to strike a balance between reopening and protecting people's health.

Gatherings of more than 15 people will still be prohibited. The use of masks will be strongly recommended in crowded public spaces. Case numbers across the province will be closely monitored for outbreaks.

Bentley said it's unclear how salons will operate safely during the relaunch. The industry has not been given specific guidelines for sanitization practices, personal protective equipment and physical distancing, she said.

"The government hasn't laid out any sort of regulation that we need to follow, and we're just in close contact, we just can't keep the distancing."

Bentley said she spends hours with each customer and touching their hair and face can't be avoided.

She plans to wear a mask but the protective equipment will be costly and hard to come by, she said.

Some smaller salons plan to have only one client in the salon at a time, but that would mean longer hours for less pay, she said.

Bentley said she will not returnto work until June at the earliest. She is worried about how that decision might affect her eligibility for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit.

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During question period on Tuesday, deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland emphasized that employees who refuse to work in an unsafe work environment would still have access to the emergency benefit.

It's unclear, however, if workers will still be eligibleif they refuse to work for an employer that is adhering to government health standards.

'Abit of an experiment'

Bentley said stylists are also concerned about what she considers a disparity in Alberta's staged relaunch.

Personal services, such as artificial tanning, esthetics, cosmetic skin and body treatments, manicures, pedicures and waxing are included under Stage 2.

Allowing salons and barbershops to open first feels arbitrary, she said. The risk from close contact with customers would be the same across much of the beauty industry, she said.

"We're all kind of in the same boat," she said."We, as hairstylists, almost feel like a bit of an experiment to see what happens with close contact."

'People still need a haircut'

Wilmar Arboleda, owner of Wilmar Salon in north Edmonton, will return to work as soon as possible.

He plans to wear a mask, ramp up his cleaning and keep the number of customers in the shop to a minimum. He hopes the province will provide clear directions on how to maintain a healthy work environment.

"You have to be careful because it's your health, it's your life at the end of the day," he said.

Arboleda said he is nervous about working during the pandemic, and the future of business as fears over the virus persist.

"We don't know if the business can be the same after this," he said. "I mean, people still need a haircut but it depends on how everyone is feeling about COVID-19 after this."