Nail Salons May Now Reopen Indoors, CA Announces

CALIFORNIA — Nail salons were finally given the OK to operate indoors Tuesday after months of closure or operating outdoors. California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly announced the change during his afternoon conference, despite previous guidelines that instructed otherwise.

Ghaly said that more specific guidelines regarding nail salons would be released soon.

Now, regardless of a county’s tier status, Ghaly said nail salons can begin serving customers indoors, with modifications. Nail salons may reopen even in the most restrictive counties.

Individual counties though, maintain the option to restrict the service.

Despite the announcement, Los Angeles residents may not see this development come to fruition until October. The county's health officials have said they don't plan to ease any business restrictions until the end of September, according to multiple sources.

Many nail salons have been operating outdoors and on sidewalks with implemented safety measures, including mandatory gloves and masks, extra cleaning and strict sanitizing measures. Many businesses have also placed Plexiglass shields between customers and nail technicians.

Ghaly gave the green light during his Tuesday news conference, in which he also announced that nine counties had moved into lower tiers on the state's COVID-19 risk assessing blueprint. The state positivity rate has fallen to 3 percent over a two week period.

While the guidelines to reopen salons have not been released, they will likely come in the form of a reduced capacity and mandated space between customers.

SEE ALSO: Nine CA Counties Allowed To Reopen And Expand Businesses