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Beauty salons, spas and nail bars to reopen - but no moustache shaping or eyebrow waxing

Beauty salon
Beauty salon

Beauty salons and spas will be able to open on Monday but will not be able to provide facial treatments under a series of new Government restrictions to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

They will be followed towards the end of the month by indoor gyms, leisure centres and pools, which will welcome back members on July 25 for the first time since they were ordered to close three months ago.

Gyms will be asked to limit capacity to allow 100 square foot per person, reduce class sizes and require members to book slots in advance.

On Thursday Oliver Dowden, the Culture Secretary, announced that nail bars, tanning salons and tattoo parlours will also be permitted to reopen at the start of next week.

Under the latest relaxations, outdoor pools, amateur cricket and open-air theatres, opera, dance and music venues will be given the greenlight to restart from Saturday.

Other grassroots sports, such as football and rugby, will also begin a phased return once ministers have signed off “action plans” designed to ensure that adequate safety measures are in place.

However, many of the venues and businesses that are permitted to reopen will have new limits placed on their activities.

Read more: what beauty treatment are allowed?

Under the restrictions, beauty salons and spas will be banned from “high risk” services, meaning face waxing and threading, eyelash and eyebrow treatments, make-up application and facial treatments will still be out of bounds.

Beard trimming will be allowed, but should be limited to "simple beard trims, thinning or removing bulk or length which can be done using either clippers or scissors".

"Intricate" shaping or shaving of areas such as moustaches should not be carried out.

Stylists or barbers should cut facial hair from the side or by circling the client to avoid the face-to-face "zone."

Body treatments such as manicures, pedicures and bikini waxing is permitted.

Read more: Can I get my nails done?

Where social distancing cannot be maintained, stylists and beauticians will be required to wear visors, screens and barriers will be placed between clients, cleaning of surfaces will increase, and appointments will be pre-booked.

Players taking part in team sports will be encouraged to avoid using public transport and arrive for matches already changed and warmed up, while also avoiding unnecessary contact such as handshakes or huddles.

They should shower at home and limit the use of changing rooms, the guidance says. Balls and other items that are passed regularly among players should be cleared regularly.

Coronavirus podcast - Science or sexism? The beauty industry’s slow reopening 10/07/20 (doesn't autoupdate)
Coronavirus podcast - Science or sexism? The beauty industry’s slow reopening 10/07/20 (doesn't autoupdate)

Spectators will be allowed to attend in small numbers providing they are in groups of no more than two households.

All players, officials, volunteers and spectators will be told not to attend if they have coronavirus symptoms.

Clubhouses and bars can open as long as they follow government hospitality guidelines.

In gyms, equipment such as treadmills and cross trainers will be spaced out, with members required to wipe down equipment between each use.

Sessions will need to be booked in advance and capacity will be limited, with gyms required to place a cap on numbers according to the total size of the gym divided by 100 square foot per person. Mr Dowden confirmed that face masks would not be mandatory.

Swimming pools will also operate caps on the number of people permitted, while indoor dance studios will be required to put down floor markings to prevent close contact between users.

Outdoor performances resuming this weekend will only be able to take place with small audiences, spaced out according to social distancing rules.

Mr Dowden said that pilot performances are taking place in indoor venues to assess whether they  can also return soon, with the Government already committing £1.57bn to rescue the struggling arts and heritage sectors.

While no time frame has been announced yet for the resumption of performing arts indoors, the Government set out the first glimpses of how they will operate.

Under the guidance, performers, conductors and musicians will be required to observe social distancing wherever possible, with singing and playing of brass and wind instruments in front of audiences limited only to professionals.

Mr Dowden has commissioned a scientific study on the risks associated with singing and playing brass instruments. This will be carried out with Public Health England, professionals from the Royal Opera House and the BBC, as well as scientists.

Venue capacity and ticket sales will be reduced, as will the size of casts and orchestras, with deep cleaning of the auditoria also increased.

Mr Dowden said the major easing of the lockdown last weekend to allow pubs and restaurants to reopen had not adversely affected efforts to control coronavirus.

He said he had "further extensive conversations" with chief medical officer for England Professor Chris Whitty before announcing the latest easings.

"All the data is continuing to move in the right direction," he said. "Prior to July 4 we announced a number of easements. We haven't seen as a result of those that the number [of cases] is increasing. In fact it continues to decline."