Beauty salons in England to open in all tiers post-Covid-19 lockdown 2.0
Prime Minister Boris Johnson has confirmed that England's second coronavirus lockdown will end on December 2, with beauty salons, spas and mobile/home-based therapists able to operate their businesses once again in all three regional tiers from December 2.
Post-lockdown, the country will go into the Government’s Covid-19 Winter Plan, which involves a stricter version of the three-tier coronavirus system of rules that operated in England before the second national lockdown began.
To prevent “the virus escalating”, the Government is going back to a regional tiered approach but with tighter restrictions, “applying the toughest measures where Covid-19 is most prevalent,” said Johnson. The plan is designed to carry us “safely to spring”, he said.
On Thursday (November 26), the Government will announce which areas fall into tier one, two and three, based on an analysis of cases in all age groups, looking at the rate in which cases are rising or falling, and the current and projected pressures on NHS.
Johnson added: “By using tougher measures and rapid turnaround tests, it should be possible for areas to move down the tiering scale to lower levels of restrictions.”
The Prime Minister said he is “very sorry” for the “hardship” caused to business owners.
Read the Government’s Covid-19 Winter Plan in full.
What is the Government’s “Winter Plan” Three-tier system?
The new tiers will now be a “uniform set of measures” across England with no local negotiations. The tiers are being made stricter as the scientific evidence states that the previous three-tier system did not keep the R number below one.
According to the document, personal care services will be able to operate in all three tiers.
Tier one (medium) – People should continue to work from home where possible and spectator sports can resume but with limits on attendance. Most businesses will be allowed to operate as long as they are Covid-19-secure.
Tier two (high) – Beauty salons, gyms, non-essential retail and hairdressers can remain open, but pubs and bars can only keep their doors open if they are serving meals. Spectator sports can resume but with further limits on attendance.
Tier three (very high) – Hospitality will close except for delivery and takeaway, and indoor entertainment venues must also shut. Beauty salons, spas, hairdressers, barbers and gyms can remain open. However, saunas and steam rooms must close.
Industry reactions
Richard Lambert, chief executive of the National Hair & Beauty Federation (NHBF), said: “The NHBF welcomes [the] announcement that hair and beauty in England will not face any future closures, regardless of which tier they are in, and the confirmation that the same rules will apply in the same tiers throughout the country.
"However, our industry has been hit hard by the previous lockdowns and restrictions and so we are still pushing the Government to make funds available to help salons fully recover – like those given to the hospitality and leisure sector.”
Babtac chair Lesley Blair said, "We are delighted that Government have heeded our collective call and confirmed that all hair and beauty can reopen on December 2 within all tiers in England. The evidence we presented to government has proven that, as a sector we already operate with higher hygiene and safety standards than most other industries. These facts have been backed up by the Scientific Advisory Group of Emergencies’ (SAGE) own analysis that the contribution to the R rate by close contact services was incredibly low."
Salons in Wales are currently open while beauty businesses in 11 areas of Scotland are shut until December 11. Despite having just come out of its second Covid-19 lockdown, Northern Ireland will be going into another lockdown on November 27.