SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- Some San Diego salon owners say the regulations released by the state may not be enough to help save their businesses.
Like other business owners around San Diego and across California, salon owner Season McKesson has been trying to navigate through the many changes brought on by the coronavirus pandemic.
Through the pandemic, she and other business owners have had to deal with closures, implementing safety precautions, and obtaining personal protective equipment.
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On Monday, the state announced updated guidelines for hair salons and barbershops to operate outdoors.
McKesson was prepared to reopen her salon to operate outside until she read the regulations thoroughly. According to the state’s guidelines, salons can reopen but they cannot offer any chemical-related treatments and cannot shampoo customers.
“At first, I was trying to be optimistic; you know, giving our industry a way out to come back … but after they dropped the bomb that it’s only haircuts. Reality sets in, and there’s absolutely no way people are going to make ends meet,” she said.
McKesson told ABC 10News the guidelines cuts what she believes are essential to the salon experience.
She added, “You go to a salon for a certain experience and you’re going to sit and get sprayed down in 100-degree weather. There’s no way.”
McKesson is also concerned about the space to operate outdoors, saying not many salons have patios and would have to move into parking spaces. She is similarly worried about the cleanliness of working outside.
“It’s not sanitary. It’s not a controlled environment; sitting behind a chair is a controlled environment. I know it’s being cleaned and I know what’s being touched,” McKesson said.
Several other salon owners around San Diego County told ABC 10News they are leaning towards not reopening because of the rules, which puts them in an already tough financial situation as they try to keep their businesses alive.