They say they have a lot of calls to take the service home, and that is more dangerous for families and the community.

Desperate for the lack of income due to the coronavirus epidemic, stylists in Southern California urged Governor Gavin Newsom to allow them to open the salons, taking strict precautionary measures such as gloves and masks to prevent a possible spread of the disease; or outright, if they don't let them work, they asked to be included in a financial aid package.

“We cannot survive another week without income. We are our own employers. Lor more serious is that the clients are asking us to go to their houses. Doing so is more risky for families and the community because it is more difficult for households to comply with disinfection rules.Said Maria Teresa Villarreal, founder of the Southern California Association of Barber and Cosmetology Employers.

The proposal is to allow them to work with appointments; and not having more than five people in the beauty salons and barbers, all with masks and gloves.

Salon owners and stylists want to be helped by the government. (Aurelia Ventura / La Opinion).

“It is very important for authorities and people to know that for a stylist or barber to obtain a state license to work, they must pass a four-hour health examination. They don't evaluate us to see how well we cut our hair, but rather on the practices for disinfecting and bacteriology ”.

In addition, he noted that the disinfectants they use are approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The also beauty teacher, said that those who are going to the houses, are doing it out of necessity, and because they are respecting the rules of the authorities not to open businesses, but she insisted that it is time for the government to go out and support them. .

Stylist David Acuña is out of a job with the coronavirus. (Aurelia Ventura / La Opinion).

Greater risks

Adriana Pérez, a hairdresser who owns two beauty salons, one in Sun Valley; and another in Baldwin Park, said that although there are clients who offer to pay them twice as much to go home, it is more complicated because at home they cannot apply the rules that the state requires, and there is more possibility of contagion.

He announced that some salons whose stylists work in secret are being fined. “It is better that they allow us to open by appointment. The state must remember that we are independent and self-employed workers. This goes a long way, and I am a mother of three and without income, our situation is reaching its limit. We have to pay rent, food and many other expenses. "

Elena Gómez, owner of an aesthetic and beauty teacher for more than 30 years, said that the biggest concern is the economic factor. “The classrooms are closed, but expenses and taxes continue to run. What are we going to do. Our work is essential. We do not understand how they let the beer and marijuana businesses operate. The entire guild is very concerned. "

Mayra Cortez, a stylist for 15 years, has not been working for the coronavirus for two weeks. (Photo supplied)

Fear and anxiety

Mayra Cortez, a hair stylist in Ventura County for 15 years, said that when the salon owner informed them that Governor Newsom had ordered the salon closed for failing to offer essential services, they seized her, a mixture of feelings of fear. , stress and shock.

Even more so because her husband is also engaged in the beauty industry as he works as a barber. "We both lost our jobs, and a mortgage to pay."

Mayra does not deny that she has enjoyed the two weeks without work with her eleven-year-old and three-year-old daughters, especially since her days in the classroom are between ten and twelve hours, but at the same time, at times, anxiety and worry overwhelms her. "No income is coming into the home, and we don't qualify for unemployment. ”

He noted that depending on the length of the business closure, the impact will be greater. “It would be a good idea to let us work with appointments and taking precautions. There are clients who have asked me to cut and paint their hair at home, but I have to think about whether it is worth exposing myself. I need the money, but I also don't want to make my girls sick, ”she said.

He also misses his work. ”Our life is very social. We are stylists, but also a kind of therapist for our clients. ”

And many, he said, do not consider hair grooming services essential, but when you go through a bad time like this epidemic, grooming and looking good helps a lot to lift your spirits.

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