[updated] northern ireland hairdressing businesses closed for four-week lockdown

Northern Ireland First Minister Arlene Foster announced on 14 October that close contact services, which includes hair, beauty, barbering and mobile businesses are instructed to close from Friday 16 October for a four-week period, unless there is a medical need for these services. The National Hair and Beauty Federation (NHBF) is pressing the Northern Ireland Government for urgent clarification on what financial support will be available to the sector and how this will be made available for those who need it most. Richard Lambert, chief executive of the NHBF said: “It is hugely disappointing that this announcement has been made without any mention of specific financial support. “We urgently need assurances from the Northern Ireland Executive that as a minimum they will be providing cash grants for businesses required to close in local lockdowns similar to that of the rest of the UK (England is up to £3,000 per month for each business forced to close). “The hair and beauty industry is already under immense strain and many salon and barbershop owners are worried about the survival of their businesses, and the jobs of their employees.  People could potentially be closing on Thursday evening without knowing if they will have a business to return to," he added. The NHBF has continued to lobby the UK government and those in the devolved nations to demonstrate that the reopening of close contact services such as those within hair and beauty has not contributed to the current rise in Coronavirus cases. In recent NHBF poll, 96% of salons and barbershops in Northern Ireland had not been contacted via Test, Trace and Protect (4,107), with only 186 (4%) responding ‘Yes’. You can find more information about local lockdowns in the rest of the UK in our guide.