NDP’s call for phase two of Re-Open plan to be paused, supported by stylists

Saskatchewan’s Re-Open plan began phase one on Monday for most of the province but as cases of COVID-19 continue to grow in the north the opposition NDP wants phase two to be put on the back burner.

“We’ve had our biggest week of case numbers since this began in the last seven days and yet we’re rushing forward into phase two,” NDP Leader Ryan Meili said during a Zoom conference Thursday morning. “This was always a flaw in the design, giving dates to the phases. We’re being led by dates, not data.”

Three women who own hair care businesses joined the conference to share their concerns.

Hairdressers and barbers are allowed to re-open on May 19th, according to the plan.

Julia Darling owns High Noon Barber and plans to hold off on reopening.

“We’re being told we should wear medical-grade PPE (personal protective equipment), but we have no training in how to properly outfit ourselves,” she said.

Darling wants better information and standards on what is required.

“How can the government leave pivotal choices to businesses such as whether to wear masks and what kind of masks to wear without giving us all the information,” she said.

Kara Firman of Guide Hair Salon explains there’s more to the industry than cutting spilt ends and colouring greys.

“We won’t be able to see smiles on our client’s faces, they won’t be able to see ours,” Firman said about wearing PPE changing the industry. “It’s so much more than hair — it’s a lot.”

For Firman, the idea of wearing personal protective equipment brings up some concerns.

“Even the waste from disposing of all this is going to be huge and that doesn’t sit right for me environmentally let alone taking away from health (workers). It’s hair — we can wait,” she said.

Unlike Firman and Darling, Megan Gustafson from Manestreet Hair does plan to open sooner rather than later.

“I have not made the decision yet to stay closed until phase three, I have just said I’m not opening May 19th,” she explained. “It’s a big decision for salon owners.”

She said she has sourced PPE but it might not be consistent.

“They can’t guarantee that we’re gonna have it in the summer and they’re not going to have it necessarily in the fall,” she said during the online conference.

All three owners said their clients are mostly positive or understanding about the closures.

“They’re our friends. Whether we see them socially or not I just want to touch on that mental health piece,” Gustafson said. “We are the people they share so much with and I think there’s a huge part of that that will be coming back.”

NDP Leader Ryan Meili said the SaskParty government failed to consult with business owners impacted by the second phase and believes they need to to ensure guidelines and protections are successful.