JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Effective Monday, barbershops, hair salons and nail salons in Florida counties that are in Phase One of the reopening plan will be allowed to open their doors to customers with enhanced safety protocols.
All of Northeast Florida is in the first phase of the reopening plan. The announcement was made Friday by an Orlando barbershop owner on Facebook and tweeted by Gov. Ron DeSantis, who wrote:
Here’s a major announcement from my friend J Henry, owner of J Henry’s Barber Shop in downtown Orlando. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/KnXFaMRVns
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) May 8, 2020
“We are ready to get back to work and make some money,” Henry, who operates J Henry’s Barber Shop, said in the video. “But getting back to work, we want to be safe to continue to wear gloves, wear masks, bookmark appointments and continue to keep the community safe. I know everyone is happy to come out and support the barbershop, and we want to continue to keep one thing in mind, safety is always first.”
Earlier in the day, DeSantis announced that Palm Beach County will be included in Phase One as of Monday, which leaves just Miami-Dade and Broward counties out of the first phase.
DeSantis issued guidelines laid out by the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation for barbershops, salons and cosmetology specialty businesses to reopen. All businesses will have to follow the mandatory provisions listed below.
- All customers will be by appointment only.
- Allow at least 15 minutes between the conclusion of an appointment and the beginning of the next appointment for proper disinfecting practices.
- No group appointments are permitted.
- Masks must be worn by all employees while performing personal services.
The department also listed additional guidelines that are not required, but businesses are strongly encouraged to follow.
- Thoroughly clean and disinfect prior to reopening. Make sure to disinfect all surfaces, tools and linens, even if they were cleaned before you originally closed. This type of cleaning should continue between each day of operation.
- Consider providing unworn masks to clients for use during their appointment.
- Remove all unnecessary, frequently touched items like magazines, newspapers, service menus and any other unnecessary paper products and décor from customer service areas.
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry said he’s continuing to work closely with the governor to reopen Duval County “safely and smartly.”
Since the announcement, phone calls at Hawthorn Salon in Five Points have been nonstop. Owner Jim Stracke said that after six weeks of booking out the window, the announcement was a little scary, but they’re ready to prepare their business, with restrictions. He plans to put clients at every other chair.
This followed by heavy sanitation and splitting shifts, he said reopening could limit how much money they can bring in.
“That’s going to make a huge impact financially on the business,” Stracke said. “We will be open for longer hours in the near future to help try to get people taken care of.”
Stephanie Stewart, owner of Hair and Body Mechanix, said whatever the rules are, they’re ready to follow.
“Phones going crazy,” she said. “I’ve got tons of text messages to return, and I’m so excited.”
Last Saturday, DeSantis met with the owners of barbershops in Orlando to discuss moving forward with reopening their businesses.
“We wanted to solicit feedback from people who do this, about what would you be thinking,” DeSantis said. “How do you do this in a way that makes the risk small...you have a right to ply your craft and so we want to get to yes, we want to be judicious and methodical and be safe about it.”
DeSantis said small things like being able to get a haircut will give people confidence about venturing out as a step toward a healthy society.