Here's What Your Next Haircut Will Be Like Amid NJ Coronavirus

NEW JERSEY – Temperatures checks. Sitting people 6 feet apart. Physical barriers. And, of course, masks.

But what will perhaps be the biggest change – and challenge – to the barber and hair stylist experience? No walk-ins.

(And no old newspapers or magazines!)

Getting a haircut promises to be a truly unique experience amid the coronavirus outbreak in New Jersey now that personal care services are set to resume on June 22nd.

This weekend, New Jersey released a long set of rules for barbers and hair stylists, as well hair braiding shops, nail salons, spas and massage parlors, to follow if they want to reopen.

Some of the big safeguards barbers and hair stylists must follow include:

• Limiting services to appointment-only
• Performing health screening – including temperature checks – on clients and staff prior to entry to the facility
• Requiring use of personal protective equipment, and requiring clients to wear face coverings at all times, regardless of the service they are receiving, unless face down on a massage table or where doing so would inhibit an person's health
• Ensuring that all staff-client pairs maintain at least 6 feet distance between other staff-client pairs, unless separated by physical barriers;
• Adopting enhanced cleaning and disinfection practices
• Staying informed about new developments and guidance related to COVID-19.

See the full list below.

Gov. Phil Murphy said the steps are being taken to further reduce the spread of the coronavirus in New Jersey, even as the state's numbers continue to decline.

Indeed, New Jersey now has among the lowest new daily case rates in the country. Two months ago, the daily new case numbers were regularly more than 3,000. On Sunday, there were 305 new cases and 40 more deaths. Read more: NJ Coronavirus, Reopen Updates: Here's What You Need To Know

“We’re able to confidently announce this important step in our restart and recovery because the health metrics tell us we can,” said Murphy. “With the proper health and safety protocols in place, personal care business owners who are anxious get back to serving their customers and communities will have the opportunity to do so.”

The Division of Consumer Affairs issued the comprehensive health and safety standards that personal care services, who are licensees of the New Jersey State Board of Cosmetology and Hairstyling and the New Jersey Board of Massage and Bodywork Therapy, must abide by.

Here's what barbers and hair stylists specifically have to do:

• Install physical barriers, if feasible, to minimize client contact with staff in the reception area.
• Utilize floor markers (such as signs or tape) to designate 6-foot distances in common areas of the premises, including the reception and/or waiting area, client service stations, bathrooms, and employee break rooms.
• Seating in the reception and/or waiting area shall be rearranged or removed to ensure that people are seated at least 6 feet apart.
• Reconfigure the premises to ensure that staff-client pairs maintain at least 6 feet distance between any other staff-client pairs at all times, unless separated in private closed-rooms or by physical barriers.
• Utilize pre-payment or remote, contactless payment options, when possible.
• If the exchange of cash is unavoidable, cash should be placed on the counter and not exchanged hand-to-hand.
• Staff accepting cash shall wipe the counter between each transaction and wash their hands with soap or utilize hand sanitizer after each transaction.
• Establish an isolated area for delivery of supplies and materials.
• Clean all surfaces at the premises with hot soapy water or cleaning wipes prior to reopening and before disinfecting.
• Hard non-porous surfaces, such as glass, metal, and plastic, as well as all tools should be disinfected even if they were cleaned before the premises was closed.
• Remove items that are intended to be used by multiple people, such as magazines/books/newspapers or other publications.
• Install hand sanitizers for use by clients and staff.
• Decline to provide services to any clients without a pre-scheduled appointment that has been arranged by telephone, text messaging, or online.
• No walk-ins shall be permitted.
• Screen no more than 24 hours prior to the appointment all clients scheduled for appointments.
• The screening must be done via a telephonic or online consultation or questionnaire that includes the screening questions.
• Clients are required to submit to a no-contact forehead temperature check.
• Clients must wear, at a minimum, a cloth face covering at all times, except where doing so would inhibit the person's health or the person is under 2 years of age.
• Space appointments to allow adequate time for cleaning and disinfecting all nonporous surfaces.
• Those with a temperature exceeding 100.4 degrees, along with anyone accompanying them, should be denied entry.
• Stagger work hours of staff or adjust operating hours to limit the number of people on the premises at any given time, and accommodate social distancing.
• Require all staff immediately prior to the initial re-entry after the reopening of the premises to respond to screening questions.
• Require premises owners, managers, staff, clients, and anyone else in the premises to wear, at minimum, a cloth face covering at all times before, during, and after performing services.
• Provide clients with, at minimum, cloth face coverings, if they arrive for an appointment without a face covering, or decline to provide services.
• Direct staff to wear gloves when required to handle dirty linens or laundry.
• Allow for break time for repeated hand washing between clients throughout the day.
• Staff must maintain an appointment book with contact information regarding clients served, as well as a daily log of staff, and submit such information if requested to the Department of Health or the local board of health.
• Notify the local health department immediately if it is suspected that any person who is known to have contracted COVID-19 was on the premises while COVID-19 positive, and cooperate with contact tracing efforts.