Florida Governor DeSantis Announces Hair and Nail Salons to Open Monday

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis shared a video to social media on Friday that announced that most barbershops, hair salons, and nail salons will open on Monday in parts of the state after they were shut down due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The video featured Orlando barbershop owner John Henry, who made the announcement.

“We are ready to get back to work and make some money,” said Henry, who operates J Henry’s Barber Shop. “But getting back to work, we want to be safe to continue to wear gloves, wear masks, bookmark appointments and continue to keep the community safe.

“I know everyone is happy to come out and support the barbershop, and we want to continue to keep one thing in mind, safety is always first,” Henry added.

The video shared by DeSantis came shortly after he announced that Palm Beach County will be included in Monday’s first phase of the state’s economic reopening process. The only two counties that will remain out of the first phase are Miami-Dade county and Broward county.

In a push to be included in the first phase of reopening, Henry, along with other barbers and cosmetologists in the state, sat down for a discussion with DeSantis last Saturday. Throughout the discussion, Henry and others highlighted their plans to safely resume operations, which included sanitation and health protocols and social distancing measures for customers.

Speaking in Jacksonville on Friday, DeSantis concluded that the industry proposals reviewed by physicians and the Department of Health were “going in a really good direction.” DeSantis said:

Look, I practically have a mullet. So, I haven’t had a haircut in a long time. But you know, we just want to make sure we’re going in a safe, smart, step-by-step approach. We’re being very judicious on everything we’re doing. But I absolutely see a path. And I think if people watch out, I think that you’ll be hearing something on that very soon.

While in Jacksonville, DeSantis also said he would like to eventually move Miami-Dade and Broward into phase one, which could possibly begin May 18, saying they have “good trends” to combat the virus.