[updated] which salons are affected by a covid-19 local lockdown system?

Following UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's announcement about England's new COVID-19 three-tier local lockdown system on Monday 12 October, HJ reveals what hair salons and barbershops need to know about the new rules and will constantly be updating this article with the salons who are affected in different parts of the UK.

What salons and barbershops need to know about the new COVID-19 three tier local lockdown system

The new system is split into three alert levels: medium, high and very high. Tier one – Medium – This level will cover most of England and consists of the current national measures, which include a maximum of six people being able to meet indoors and outdoors at any one time and a 10pm curfew at pubs, bars and restaurants. Tier two – High – This level aims to reduce household-to-household transmissions by preventing all mixing between different households or support bubbles indoors. Most areas already in local lockdown restrictions will automatically move into this level. Tier three – Very high – Areas in the very high level will see social mixing banned indoors and in private gardens, while pubs and bars will also be told to close as a result of rapid rising rates of COVID-19 cases. There will be an exception for pubs and bars who serve food.

When does the new lockdown system come into effect?

The new system will come into force from Wednesday 15 October. Most areas in England are currently sitting in the medium alert level - meaning current restrictions continue, including the 10pm hospitality curfew. Areas already experiencing local restrictions will automatically sit in the high alert level - meaning bans on household mixing indoors will be extended to include hospitality venues. Nottinghamshire, East and West Cheshire and a small area of High Peak now come into the high alert level category, as well as Greater Manchester, parts of South Yorkshire, and north-east England. Around 4.4 million people will be in high alert areas. The first area to move into the tier three - very high level is Liverpool city with Merseyside pubs, bars, gyms, leisure centres, betting shops and casinos being forced to close. A postcode search on Gov.uk will show members of the public which local alert level applies in their area.

How will the new lockdown system affect hair salons and barbershops?

In each local area, the UK Government will liaise with local bodies and councils to decide on the measures that will need to be taken to curb the spread of the virus. This could affect hair salons and barbershops, especially if an area reaches tier three – very high level.

Wales 'firebreak' lockdown to close hair salons and barbershops

Wales announced a national 'firebreak' lockdown on Monday 19 October that will start from Friday 23 October and will continue until Monday 9 November. Anyone living in Wales will be told to stay at home, while pubs, restaurants, hotels and non-essential shops will shut. The NHBF has confirmed the lockdown will include hair and beauty businesses and mobile hair and beauty services. The Welsh Government has confirmed the following financial support with more details to follow:

• £1,000 for every business covered by small business rate relief.
• Up to £5,000 for small and medium retail, leisure and hospitality, received automatically.
• Additional discretionary grants for businesses struggling from restrictions.
• The UK government's support package for employees and self-employed, including the Job Support Scheme and the Self-Employed Income Support Scheme will also be available in Wales.

First Minister Mark Drakeford said the "time-limited 'firebreak'" will be "a short, sharp shock to turn back the clock, slow down the virus and buy us more time".

Northern Ireland lockdown to close hair salons and barbershops

In Northern Ireland, it was announced on 14 October that hairdressers and beauty salons must close from Friday 16 October, for a period of four weeks in order to curb the spread of the Coronavirus. First Minister Arlene Foster said: “We are facing the tough reality of rapidly rising rates of infection. There are increasing numbers of people requiring acute care in our hospitals and sadly we learned yesterday of the death of seven people from Covid-19. “The Executive has given careful and painstaking consideration of the right blend of actions that will do maximum damage to the virus but minimum harm to life chances today and tomorrow. “We understand that these interventions will be hard but they will not be in place for a moment longer than they need to be. I would ask everyone to work with us to save lives and protect our health service.”

What about the rest of the UK?

For the rest of the UK, however, the National Hair and Beauty Federation said on Instagram: "As it stands, the hair and beauty sector is not being forced to close. We will continue to update members if and when local areas announce specific measures."  However, the British Beauty Council's founder Millie Kendall MBE has started an appeal as a preemptive measure to highlight the safety measures hair salons, barbershops and beauty salons are already taking to demonstrate why the industry should not be included in the the new Tier Three - Very High Local Lockdown Closures. Click here to use the British Beauty Council's template to contact your local MP and support the British Beauty Council campaign to keep hair salons, beauty salons and barbershops open in areas that are in the Tier Three - Very High level of the new COVID-19 local lockdown system. Click here to find your local MP and send the letter to them. 

What financial help will be available for local businesses that have to close due to the local lockdown system?

The Prime Minister said the UK Government will provide about £1 billion of new funding to local authorities across the UK on top of the £3.6 billion Towns Fund. For areas in the very high alert tier, there will be extra financial support for improved contact tracing. The Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak has also revealed the Government’s Job Support Scheme (JSS) will be expanded to protect jobs and support businesses required to close their doors as a result of the coronavirus restrictions. The Government will pay two thirds of employees’ salaries to protect jobs over the coming months and the cash grants for businesses required to close in local lockdowns will be increased to up to £3,000 per month. Firms whose premises are legally required to shut for some period over winter as part of local or national restrictions will receive grants to pay the wages of staff who cannot work - protecting jobs and enabling businesses to reopen quickly once restrictions are lifted. The government will support eligible businesses by paying two thirds of each employees’ salary (or 67%), up to a maximum of £2,100 a month. For more information about the Winter Recovery Plan click here.  .