Salons, Barbershops and Personal Care Services in LA County Can Increase Capacity to 75%

According to the Los Angeles County Public Health Department, Los Angeles County has met the threshold for the less restrictive orange tier in the State's Blueprint for a Safer Economy. On March 30, the State released updated numbers; L.A. County's adjusted case rate dropped from 3.7 new cases per 100,000 people to 3.1 new cases per 100,000 people. The test positivity rate dropped from 1.8% to 1.5% and in areas with the fewest health affirming resources, L.A. County’s test positivity rate dropped from 2.5% to 2.1%.

A revised Los Angeles County Health Officer Order will go into effect on Monday, April 5 at 12:01 a.m. to reflect newly permitted activities. This allows the County to follow the state guidelines and wait until three weeks are completed in the red tier to be sure that case numbers do not rise this third week since the County’s earlier re-openings.

The Health Officer Order and modified directives for businesses will be posted on Friday, with an effective date of April 5. Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (Public Health) teams will be available this week and through the weekend to provide information about upcoming changes, allowing establishments to be prepared for full compliance with the required safety modifications.

On April 5, assuming County case numbers do not increase, the following changes will be made to the Health Officer Order:

Hair Salons, Barbershops and Personal Care Services can increase capacity to 75% with masks required, except for services where customers need to remove their masks. For services where customers must remove their face coverings, staff must wear a fitted N95 or a mask with a face shield.

"While Los Angeles County has yet to experience increases, this week will be critical, as we are now two weeks out from when we moved into the red tier and reopened several sectors. There is much to be optimistic about. Los Angeles County has administered nearly 4 million vaccine doses. Spring is here. The weather is beautiful. USC and UCLA are in the Elite Eight and we are close to opening day for baseball. However, we cannot let our guard down. Another surge here would be dangerous and stop our recovery progress. We would move swiftly to introduce measures to limit transmission and these measures would have us stepping backwards. Keep yourself, your loved ones, and essential workers safe by following all the rules when you are at a business, retail or food establishment. "-- Barbara Ferrer, PhD, MPH, MEd, Director of Public Health.

Originally posted on Modern Salon