All hair salons and barbershops ordered to close during coronavirus

Hair salons and barbershops are now included in the UK Government's official list of businesses that must close during the coronavirus pandemic.  Last week, the UK Government ordered certain businesses - including pubs, cinemas and theatres - to close. The Government is now extending this requirement to a further set of businesses and other venues, including hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons. The list now states the following:

• All non-essential retail stores - this will include clothing and electronics stores; hair, beauty and nail salons; and outdoor and indoor markets, excluding food markets.
• libraries, community centres, and youth centres.
• indoor and outdoor leisure facilities such as bowling alleys, arcades and soft play facilities.
• communal places within parks, such as playgrounds, sports courts and outdoor gyms.
• places of worship, except for funerals attended by immediate families.
• hotels, hostels, bed and breakfasts, campsites, caravan parks, and boarding houses for commercial/leisure use (excluding permanent residents and key workers).

The list was updated following Boris Johnson's statement on Monday 23 March, which revealed every UK citizen must follow three new strict measures for three weeks.

1. People must stay at home, except for very limited purposes
2. All non-essential shops and community spaces will be closed
3. All gatherings of more than two people in public are banned.

Every citizen must comply with these new measures. The relevant authorities, including the police, will be given the powers to enforce them – including through fines and dispersing gatherings. These measures are effective immediately and the UK Government will look again at these measures in three weeks, and relax them if the evidence shows this is possible. Click here for more information about how to keep your salon team productive and motivated during the coronavirus pandemic.  Next week HJ will be launching its Virtual Week with business advice, digital skills talks and online education to create some positivity during this difficult time.