The Prime Minister announced yesterday that the England lockdown will come to an end on the 2nd December.
It has been confirmed to us by BEIS that personal services, including all hair and beauty, will be able to reopen under all tiers (except for Saunas and Steam rooms which will not be able to open in tier 3) and that the new tiers will all adhere to a uniform set of guidelines, preventing any local council from adding on any additional restrictions. Please click here for full details on the new tier system. Please note the date of opening (now the 2nd December) is an amendment to their original confirmation that businesses could only return on the 3rd.
BABTAC, together with other industry bodies, submitted a letter to government on the 12th November (read here) evidencing the reasons why all hair and beauty should be allowed to open once the lockdown had ended, so we are delighted that the correct decision has been taken.
Lesley Blair, BABTAC Chair 'We are delighted that government have heeded our collective call and confirmed that all hair and beauty can reopen on the 2nd December within all tiers in England. The evidence we presented to government has proven that, as a sector we already operate with higher hygiene and safety standards than most other industries. These facts have been backed up by the Scientific Advisory Group of Emergencies’ (SAGE) own analysis that the contribution to the R rate by close contact services was incredibly low.
We hope that this evidence not only continues to allow our services to remain open, but that it will also provide the reassurance to clients that they can safely return to having their treatments done, at a time that is pivotal to the revival of many businesses while, equally importantly, contributing to the client’s own physical and mental wellbeing'
Details of what areas will fall into which tier will be outlined by government this coming Thursday and the updated guidelines are expected to be published the same day.
Northern Ireland have announced an additional 2 week circuit breaker which will begin on Friday the 27th November and run until the 11th December. This will unfortunately once again include the closure of all close contact services and vocational training environments. For full details click here
Scotland remains on the tier system as announced in last weeks update. Our Chair Lesley Blair, managed to secure a one on one meeting last week with Jamie Hepburn MSP, the Scottish Minister for Business, Fair Works and Skills to present a number of queries raised by ourselves and members on the current restrictions there. Please click here for the full response we received back today.
While there was some speculation yesterday around Wales considering tighter restrictions ahead of Christmas no announcements have been made as yet.