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Hairdressers can finally open again from July 4
SHAGGY-haired Brits will be able to get a professional haircut from July 4 after weeks of DIY disasters, Boris Johnson announced today.
The Prime Minister said that hairdressers and barber shops can reopen with appropriate measures in place to keep staff and clients safe.
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The PM said today: "We will reopen hairdressers with appropriate precautions including the use of visors
"We also intend to allow some other close contact services such as nail bars to reopen as soon as we are confident they can open in a Covid secure way."
He ditched the 2 metre rule to allow many businesses across the country to reopen under more relaxed social distancing measures.
It will bring cheer to the nation’s 33,000 stylists and beauticians, many of them self-employed.
It will also boost the morale of millions in desperate need of grooming after 13 weeks lockdown.
Desperate couples have been forced to carry out calamitous clipper jobs on each other’s hair, often resulting in bitter rows.
Some hair salons have said they will be opening at midnight on July 4 to clear a backlog of 3 months, with one London hairdresser preparing to deal with a queue of 2,000 people desperate for a trim.
Hellen Ward from Richard Ward Hair and Metrospa in London said: "It will take a while, partly because we have to work out what they have done to their hair during lockdown to work out how long a booking will take."
Ms Ward said she expected to see a few bad DIY haircuts from people who had attempted to trim their own hair.
The new 1 metre rule means Ms Ward can have 46 chairs in her salon instead of 23.
Co-founder of Salon Sloane in London Belle Cannan said: "It (the relaxing of the social distancing rules) will help because we are a small salon and only have eight positions.
"Going from two metres to one metre makes it much more of a viable business because you can accommodate more clients, and of course everyone is desperate to come in, especially in the first week to get their hair done."
Ms Cannan, whose clients include Victoria's Secret models and former Spice Girl Melanie C, said the changes would allow her salon to increase its capacity from 50% to 75%.
She said staff will wear protective visors and will be required to wipe down chairs and equipment before and after every customer.
Hairdressers in Northern Ireland will be able to reopen on July 6, while the Welsh Government is expected to review an official opening date on July 9.
In a major update today, Boris announced:
- He was slashing the 2m rule down to '1m plus'
- Staycations from July 4 got the green light as hotels and bed and breakfasts were told they could reopen
- Pubs will also reopen from July 4 - but only one household can go inside with another and new measures will be in place
- After three long months Brits will finally be able to get a haircut
- But nail salons, gyms and nightclubs will remain closed for now
- People will be allowed to see one other household inside - but they must still keep their distance
- And sleepovers are finally allowed from July 4
- Full list of all businesses allowed to reopen
Another salon - The Chair in Canterbury, Kent, revealed it will open from midnight to 4pm on July 4 to get a headstart on a flood of appointments.
Owner Katie Hancock and another hairdresser are readying for a long shift through the night to cut Brits' lockdown locks.
The move will only be for the first day, but the salon's normal opening hours will be extended like many across the country.
Hair appointments are also expected to take longer and bookings be spaced out to ensure hygiene measures are able to be followed.
Hair stylists feared they would be shut for at least six months after experts initially warned it was impossible to cut hair without the risk of spreading coronavirus.
But scientists have now ruled it will be safe for salons to resume providing they stick to guidelines.
All hairdressers will be required to wear full-face plastic visors to reduce the risk of infection.
There will also be strict rules about disinfecting equipment.
Customers will only be allowed in by appointment and there will be a limit on numbers.
Officials are also weighing up whether to allow beauty salons and nail bars to open on July 4. Downing Street on Saturday said no formal decision has been made on whether to allow hairdressers to re-open.
Pubs, restaurants, cafes and hotels will also be able to reopen under strict guidelines. It will mean:
- Street bars and restaurants springing up everywhere under new laws giving pubs and restaurants the right to serve alcohol outdoors;
- A ban on self-service buffets and breakfasts in hotels — with waiters leaving room service orders outside room doors;
- Beer gardens patrolled to enforce the new social distancing limit – expected to be one metre;
- Pubs will be encouraged to use a new app to cut queues at the bar. Customers will download it to order drinks on their phones which will then be delivered to tables;
- Restaurant tables not being set in advance to avoid infection.
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Chancellor Rishi Sunak has warned millions of jobs are on the line if the hospitality sector is not re-opened.
He said on Saturday the review of the two-metre rule will “make an enormous difference” to businesses.
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Gyms, nail bars and nightclubs to stay closed as Boris Johnson reveals easing of lockdown measures in the UK
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