Monterey County nail salons gear up to reopen on Friday
SEASIDE, Calif. (KION) Nail salons are among the many personal services returning on Friday. But there's a lot of physical contact involved in getting a manicure or pedicure. So that's why the state has specialized precautions for nail salons as they reopen.
“I’ve been waiting to get my toes done for so long now,” Marina resident Maddie Donaghy said.
Some Monterey County clients said they're ready to hit the nail salons when they open back up at the end of the week.
And, with new guidelines from the state, technicians are stepping up their safety precautions. They're doing things like using new plastic bags to line pedicure bowls between each use.
“We always did it before, but now we’re just going to be more careful,” nail technician Rosa Cano said.
To reduce contact with common surfaces, nail polish displays will be a thing of the past.
“So they’re going to be in the back and I’m just going to be showing examples to my clients,” Cano said.
Magazines also aren't allowed.
Employees need to purchase as many disposable supplies as possible. And, they said, it get expensive.
“But, I mean, we’re more than happy to do what we can to keep our clients safe,” Cano said.
This reopening comes after business-owners have protested state-wide to reopen their nail salons. Many said it was unfair that they had to stay closed for so long and were labeled as the location of California's first community-spread case of COVID-19.
“At the beginning, they say COVID-19 started at a nail salon, so I think that was something really bad for us,” Cano said.
Governor Newsom made the statement during a news conference. And technicians said they're worried it made clients nervous about coming back.
But some customers said they're not concerned.
“Not at all," Donaghy said.
The state is also asking that salons encourage the use of credit cards and other contactless payment methods. That way, cash isn't being passed back and forth between customers and employees.
