Irish Government says personal services won’t reopen on 5 March

The Irish Government has said that personal services, which includes hairdressers, barbers and beauty salons will not reopen on 5 March, which is the date that the current Level 5 restrictions are due to lift.

At a press conference announcing additional Covid-19 business supports, the Tanaiste Leo Varadkar said the reopening of the personal services industry will be “way later” than 5 March.

The Government is currently working on a revised version of the Plan for Living with Covid-19, which will be published later in February. The Tanaiste said it had not yet been determined what parts of the economy would reopen, but there will be a cautious reopening of retail across April, May and June.

The Irish Hairdressers Federation (IHF) has voiced its frustrations at the news of a longer period of closure.

“We’re going into being closed for six months of the last 12 months at that point, so it’s very disappointing,” said IHF president Danielle Kennedy. “We updated our industry guidelines in December and we’ve proven what a safe environment salons are, and how safely we can operate throughout the crisis.”

The Hairdressing Council of Ireland said it will be asking the Government for clarity on where personal services will appear in the revised Plan for Living with Covid-19. under the current plan, salons are allowed to open uer Level 3.