Latest update: coronavirus new year uk update: can hair salons stay open?
Published
19th Dec 2020
by laurahusband
The latest UK Government Coronavirus announcement on Wednesday 30 December means many more hair salons in England can't open in the new year as more areas will be moving into Tier 4 from New Year's Eve (00:01 on Thursday 31 December) and into the start of 2021.
The first set of affected hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons, which were announced on Saturday 19 December had to close from Sunday 20 December. The second set of Tier 4 areas had to close from 26 December (Boxing Day).
The latest Tier 4 areas (announced on Wednesday 30 December) will have to close from Thursday 31 December (New Year's Eve).
This latest set of Tier 4 areas were announced on the day that was supposed to be the review date for existing Tier 4 areas. However, due to rising COVID-19 rates all of the hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons in existing Tier 4 areas must remain closed as well as the new set of areas joining Tier 4 from New Year's Eve.
Boris Johnson said during a press conference on 30 December: "No-one regrets these actions more than I do but we must take action now.
Coronavirus – Can hair salons or hair businesses stay open in England in the New Year (from New Year's Eve and into the start of 2021)? It depends if you are in tier 2, tier 3 or tier 4
During a press conference by prime minister Boris Johnson on Saturday 19 December at 4pm, it was announced that all non-essential retail, which includes hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons in England that are placed into Tier 4 must close until the rules are reviewed.What help and support is available to hair salons unable to open due to Coronavirus in the New Year?
The NHBF has reported the Coronavirus Business Grant and Local Restrictions Support Grant given to businesses forced to close under the Tier restrictions will be available for Tier 4 businesses. On its latest Instagram post the NHBF said: "As three-quarters of England are now in Tier 4, the NHBF has said it is continuing to lobby on behalf of the industry for targeted financial support."Hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons moving into Tier 4 from 31 December and into the New Year that must close are as follows:
- Leicester City
- Leicestershire (Oadby and Wigston, Harborough, Hinckley and Bosworth, Blaby, Charnwood, North West Leicestershire, Melton)
- Lincolnshire (City of Lincoln, Boston, South Kesteven, West Lindsey, North Kesteven, South Holland, East Lindsey)
- Northamptonshire (Corby, Daventry, East Northamptonshire, Kettering, Northampton, South Northamptonshire, Wellingborough)
- Derby and Derbyshire (Derby, Amber Valley, South Derbyshire, Bolsover, North East Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Erewash, Derbyshire Dales, High Peak)
- Nottingham and Nottinghamshire (Gedling, Ashfield, Mansfield, Rushcliffe, Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood, Nottinghamshire, Broxtowe)
- Birmingham and Black Country (Dudley, Birmingham, Sandwell, Walsall, Wolverhampton)
- Coventry
- Solihull
- Warwickshire (Rugby, Nuneaton and Bedworth, Warwick, North Warwickshire, Stratford-upon-Avon)
- Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent (East Staffordshire, Stafford, South Staffordshire, Cannock Chase, Lichfield, Staffordshire Moorlands, Newcastle under Lyme, Tamworth, Stoke-on-Trent)
- Lancashire (Burnley, Pendle, Blackburn with Darwen, Ribble Valley, Blackpool, Preston, Hyndburn, Chorley, Fylde, Lancaster, Rossendale, South Ribble, West Lancashire, Wyre)
- Cheshire and Warrington (Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester, Warrington)
- Cumbria (Eden, Carlisle, South Lakeland, Barrow-in-Furness, Copeland, Allerdale)
- Greater Manchester (Bolton, Bury, Manchester, Oldham, Rochdale, Salford, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan)
- Tees Valley (Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland, Stockton-on-Tees )
- North East (County Durham, Gateshead, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, North Tyneside, Northumberland, South Tyneside, Sunderland)
- Gloucestershire (Gloucester, Forest of Dean, Cotswolds, Tewkesbury, Stroud, Cheltenham)
- Somerset Council (Mendip, Sedgemoor, Somerset West and Taunton, South Somerset)
- Swindon
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Isle of Wight
- New Forest
Areas that went into Tier 4 from 26 December (Boxing Day) are:
Due to rising cases, additional areas were announced to go into Tier 4 from 26 December.- Sussex
- Oxfordshire
- Suffolk
- Norfolk
- Cambridgeshire
- Hampshire (except the New Forest)
- Parts of Essex and Surrey not already in the toughest restrictions.
Areas that went into Tier 4 from Sunday 20 December are:
- London (all 32 boroughs)
- Essex (excluding Colchester, Uttlesford and Tendring)
- Kent
- Surrey (apart from Waverley)
- Central Bedfordshire
- Bedford
- Milton Keynes
- Luton
- Buckinghamshire
- Berkshire
- Gosport
- Havant
- Portsmouth
- Rother and Hastings
- Peterborough
- Hertfordshire
Updates to Tier 2 and Tier 3 Areas
Most areas in Tier 2 will be moving into Tier 3 from 31 December, however all hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons in Tiers, 1, 2 and 3 can still operate following COVID-19 rules. Click here for the full list of restrictions in England by Tier on the Official UK Government website and please keep checking it for updates. Boris Johnson said: "Those in Tier 4 areas should not mix with anyone outside their household at Christmas, though support bubbles will remain in place. Across the rest of the country, a single household can meet with two other households but this will be limited to Christmas Day only, rather than the five days previously set out. There will be no relaxation on the 31 December, so people must not break the rules on New Year's Eve."Can you travel to work if you live in Tier 4 but work in Tier 2 or 3?
If you live in Tier 4 but work in an area where hair salons are allowed to operate - you can travel to get to your workplace. On the official UK Government website it says:If you live in a Tier 4 area, you must not leave your home unless you have a reasonable excuse (for example, for work or education purposes. If you need to travel you should stay local – meaning avoiding travelling outside of your village, town or the part of a city where you live – and look to reduce the number of journeys you make overall.
Coronavirus – Can my hair salon or hair business stay open in Wales? No
The whole of Wales will be placed under lockdown from Sunday 20 December, which means non-essential retail, including hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons will need to close.
First minister Mark Drakeford made the announcement after urgent talks with ministers about the new variant strain of Coronavirus.
Mark Drakeford said: "While we all want to avoid further disruption to businesses and plans for Christmas, our overriding duty is to protect lives here in Wales."
All of Wales will be placed into the highest level of lockdown - Level 4 - with all but essential shops closed, and people being told to "stay home".
Click here for the latest rules and regulations in Wales on the official UK Government website and please keep checking for updates.
Can my hair salon or hair business stay open in Scotland? Closures started from Boxing Day
During a press conference led by Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon on Saturday 19 December it was announced that mainland Scotland would go into level 4 from Boxing Day. This is the highest level under Scotland's system and means that non-essential retail, which includes hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons will be closed from Boxing Day for at least three weeks. However, Scotland's islands will remain in Scotland's level three. Nicola Sturgeon said: "It is a serious situation that necessitates action." She added: "The information on the new variant of the virus must be taken seriously. She explained Scotland has the chance to act on a "preventative" basis and Coronavirus cases had been falling but they have started to rise in parts of the country. Click here for the latest rules and regulations in Scotland and the changes that will come into effect on Boxing Day on the official UK Government website and please keep checking for updates.Coronavirus – Can my hair salon or hair business stay open in Northern Ireland? Closures started from Boxing Day (as originally planned)
In Northern Ireland a six-week lockdown similar to the national lockdown which took place in March 2020, will start from 26 December. This means hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons will be closed for six weeks from Christmas Eve and pubs and restaurants will be restricted to takeaway services.
Health minister Robin Swann explained the short, sharp interventions introduced in October in Northern Ireland had not worked, so the executive was returning to the level of restrictions which helped curb infection rates earlier in the year.
Click here for the latest rules and regulations in Northern Ireland and the changes that will come into effect from Boxing Day on the official UK Government website and please keep checking for updates.
We will continue to update this article as more information becomes available.
