All beard and shaving services are back on the menu! Barbers, beauty salons, tattoo studios and spas across England will be able to offer ALL close contact services from Saturday 15 August, the government has announced. And based on new scientific evidence, barbers will be required to wear face masks in addition to visors.
The announcement comes as a number of remaining aspects of England’s culture, sport, leisure and business sectors will be permitted to reopen from this weekend. Two weeks ago the ONS had expressed concerns about a slight increase in the number of people in England testing positive. The situation now appears to have levelled off.
The plan set out in the ‘roadmap to recovery’ which was paused for two weeks will resume from Saturday 15 August in England – except for specific areas where local restrictions are in place.
Beauty salons, tattoo studios, spas and barbers across England will be able to offer all close contact services – including front of the face treatments such as hot towel and cut-throat shaves as well as facials from August 15 under new guidance.
There will be fines for repeatedly not wearing face coverings where mandated will be significantly increased in the coming weeks.
A number of pilots will now take place at event venues across the country to help plan how best to restart indoor business events and implement social distancing practices. Business events and conferences will be permitted to resume from 1 October provided rates of infection remain at current levels.
New face masks rules for barbers!
Taking into account new evidence provided by SAGE and consultation with industry, the Government has also confirmed today that all staff offering close contact services, including hairdressers and barbers, should now wear a face mask (type 2 surgical), in addition to a clear visor that covers the face. This will help protect customers and staff from respiratory droplets caused by sneezing, coughing, or speaking.
More detail on the new enforcement measures will be set out in the coming week.
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