The state of California is currently in Phase Two of re-opening the economy but some businesses who won't be allowed to open until Phase Three of the plan say they fear the unknown. 23ABC's Kylie Walker checked in with a local hair salon to find out where they stood.
Forty-two independent contractors and two employees with Opulent Salon said they've been out of work since March 19th. The salon's retail specialist, Lauren Nebbit, said part of the reason is the loan process for hair salons has been very limited.
"A lot of those loans are dependent on how many employees that you have. Unfortunately, we're a very small family-owned business and it wasn't meeting those requirements."
Governor Gavin Newsom has said hair salons fall under a category in Phase Three. But an exact date for when the county enters that stage has not been set. So, for now, Opulent Salon is doing everything they can to prepare for that re-opening, spending around $3,000 making sure everything is professionally-cleaned.
"Anything from the cabinets to the esthetician stations to the hairstyling stations to the air filtration systems has been completely cleaned and sanitized," said Nebbit. "We're also requiring a new Barbicide certification that all service providers must take in order to return to work."
This is a course designed to educate those in the industry on infection control.
Sales consultant with Salon Centric Debra Hollingshad, who has been helping Opulent Salon through this pandemic, said Barbicide also came out with a COVID-19 certification.
"It's a great guideline because I think it's going to help the consumer feel a lot better about coming back in because they are concerned about their safety."
Hollingshad adds that licensed cosmetologist in the state of California already have hours of training experience.
"They are required to go through a 1,600-hour training program... 400 hours of that is covering health and safety sanitation."
And although all of the employees feel prepared to open they're willing to wait until the governor moves into Phase Three of reopening the state.
