Personal care revisions

MLHU revises requirements for personal care establishments to permit wider range of services

THE MIDDLESEX-LONON HEALTH Unit (MLHU) announced on Tuesday that it had updated the COVID-19 requirements for personal care service establishments in London and Middlesex County under a recently issued Section 22 Class Order.

As of Thursday, the staff at all local hair salons, barbershops, manicure/pedicure salons, aesthetician services, piercing services, tanning salons, spas, and tattoo studios will be required to wear a medical-grade procedural mask, such as a surgical mask, and a face shield when performing a service that requires a client to remove their own mask. The use of an N95 respirator is not required, according to the health unit.

Under previous revisions announced last week, services requiring a client to remove their mask (such as beard trimming) were not permitted.

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“We continue to work with local operators in our efforts to limit further potential spread of COVID-19 while being mindful of the impact on their businesses,” Dr. Chris Mackie, the medical officer of health with the Middlesex-London Health Unit, said in a news release. “As we learn more about the novel coronavirus, how it spreads and how it behaves, we are putting measures in place to protect the community and prevent the kind of outbreaks that have been seen in other parts of the province.”

The health unit also clarified the order on Tuesday and said steam rooms, saunas, whirlpools or bathhouses used by multiple people must be closed. Facilities that use isolation float or salt pools intended for one person can continue to operate.

Failure to comply with orders can result in fines of up to $5,000 for each day an offence occurs or continues, and businesses that fail to comply can be fined up to $25,000 for each day on which the offence occurs.

For more information about the updated Section 22 Orders for personal care service establishments, click here.