Colorado Hairstylists Struggling To Navigate Confusing Reopen Regulations
PARKER, Colo. (CBS4) - Many hairstylists across the state were able to go back to work this week, but CBS4 has learned the state's guidance for those working in salons has left a lot of folks confused and frustrated.
Hairstylist Brittney Moore says when the state announced the reopening regulations last week that 10 people could be in a salon at a time, she got to work quickly to move into her own room at the Phenix Salon Suites in Parker.
"I was thinking, what can I do that would be best for me and for my clients?" Moore said. "They have salon suites that are offices, pretty much, in a building, so they're single salons within a big building, and I thought that is ultimately the safest place I could be, because I could have complete control over my environment, and make sure that everything is clean."
But the day Moore went back to work, after nearly two months of unemployment, she says the state changed course.
"They announced that only 10 people could be in a building at a time," Moore said.
Even though her building has 26 suites, under those guidelines, Moore said only five stylists would be able to work in the building at once, since each stylist would have a client, making 10 people total. She said that made it impossible for her and her colleagues to fit in the normal number of clients they usually see in a day.
"How do you schedule that?" Moore said. "It was kind of a gut punch... a lot of hairstylist are single moms, we have bills to pay too, it would have been better to stay on unemployment."
CBS4 has been contacting the state's Department of Regulatory Agencies - or DORA - over the last two days for a comment about the policies. Thursday afternoon, a DORA spokesperson said after consulting with the state health department, stylists working one-on-one with clients in individual suites will no longer have to worry about the 10 people maximum rule.
The DORA spokesperson provided the following statement about the clarification:
"Individual operators may utilize separate units (each with 4 walls and a door) in a building and follow all of the PHO requirements for that individual unit. The shared space in the building must comply with the office guidelines for shared spaces, with no group use of shared spaces. Customers and staff should wear face coverings and maintain 6 feet distance as they move through the hallways to get to the space where service is provided, but cannot congregate in the lobby and other shared spaces, and only restrooms (not changing rooms or lounges) should be open.
This guidance is in alignment with the language in Public Health Order 20-28 as well as the amended version which state: "These individual services may only be performed with 10 or fewer people in a single location at a maximum of 50% occupancy for the location, whichever is less, including both employees and customers, e.g. 5 hairstylists providing services to 5 customers, with Social Distancing Requirements of at least 6 feet distancing between different customers receiving services."
