HABIC recommends that both the stylist, barber, nail technician and beautician – everyone working within the Hair and Beauty Industry AND their clients should wear masks. Obviously this isn’t possible for every treatment but here is an industry story and a report to explain WHY we strongly advice on UNIVERSAL MASK WEARING…
In the USA – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issue a MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report) and are a service provider of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Just 3 days ago, July 14th, they issued a report on the wearing of face masks which in summary found and stated the following :
What is already known about this topic (Mask Wearing)?
Consistent and correct use of cloth face coverings is recommended to reduce the spread of SARS-CoV-2.
What is added by this report?
Among 139 clients exposed to two symptomatic hair stylists with confirmed COVID-19 while both the stylists and the clients wore face masks, no symptomatic secondary cases were reported; among 67 clients tested for SARS-CoV-2, all test results were negative. Adherence to the community’s and company’s face-covering policy likely mitigated spread of SARS-CoV-2.
What are the implications for public health practice?
As stay-at-home orders are lifted, professional and social interactions in the community will present more opportunities for spread of SARS-CoV-2. Broader implementation of face covering policies could mitigate the spread of infection in the general population.
Their report of July 14th focused on the story of 2 stylists who continued to work while symptomatic of COVID-19. THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT story with a very important MESSAGE. Please read it carefully and review you MASK WEARING POLICY!
- 2 Hair Stylists with COVID-19 spent at least 15 minutes with 139 clients.
- EVERYONE wore face coverings
- NO CLIENTS are know to be infected
- => SLOW THE SPREAD OF COVID-19 WITH UNIVERSAL WEARING OF FACE COVERINGS CONSISTENTLY AND CORRECTLY
We can take away 2 critical learnings from this:
1. Universal Mask Wearing is likely a factor in preventing the transmission of COVID-19 during the close-contact interactions between the stylists and clients
2. A well implemented Contact Tracing procedure allowed for all 139 clients to be monitored
It’s a really interesting story and report. It is well worth the read, here’s the link: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6928e2.htm?s_cid=mm6928e2_w
In conclusion:
The results of this study can be used to inform public health policy during the COVID-19 pandemic. A policy mandating the use of face coverings was likely a contributing factor in preventing transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during the close-contact interactions between stylists and clients in salon A. Consistent and correct use of face coverings, when appropriate, is an important tool for minimizing spread of SARS-CoV-2 from presymptomatic, asymptomatic, and symptomatic persons. CDC recommends workplace policies regarding use of face coverings for employees and clients in addition to daily monitoring of signs and symptoms of employees, procedures for screening employees who arrive with or develop symptoms at work, and posted messages to inform and educate employees and clients
(https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/businesses-employers.html).
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