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Friday, March 29, 2024

How ACT hairdressers are planning to reopen

As the 15 October end to lockdown fast approaches, thousands of Canberrans have been flooding the inboxes of local salons to book their first haircuts post-lockdown, according to Bentleys of Canberra owner, June Irving.

As well as running Bentleys at Jamison Plaza, Ms Irving has shares in several other salons across the ACT. From her vantage point, she reports that the pathway throughout 2021 lockdown has been littered with trials and tribulations, more so than last year.

“I haven’t seen a dime of the government’s support. I try to look after my team the best I can, but we have suffered losses, and only reached this point now by taking each day as it comes.”

Like many other hairdressing businesses in the ACT, Bentleys has stayed afloat throughout lockdown by operating click and collect for their products. Ms Irving extends an enormous thanks to her clientele who continued to support her business while its doors have been forced shut.

She said while it would have been good to receive the support payments that were promised, from this point forward the support that hairdressers require must come from their customers.

“I want to ask Canberrans to please be patient. Know that we are doing the absolute best we can to get to everybody. All we require is for everyone to act with courtesy, that would be fabulous.”

Come Friday 15 October, hairdressers and beauty providers can open with five customers at a time. With the current state of business, Ms Irving noted that this regulation will not bring businesses like hers out of the woods.

“It’s alright for small salons, but for large-capacity ones like mine we’re going to have to operate in split-shifts to share the income around as best as possible.”

The Bentleys team have kept record of those who booked appointments before the snap lockdown and will be working from the top of the list down, before accepting fresh appointments.

Ms Irving eagerly awaits Friday 29 October, when density limits will relax to one person per two square metres, and Bentleys is expected to return to “business as usual” for the first time in 11 weeks, since 12 August.

She firmly states that hairdressers should have been considered an essential business.

“In Bentleys’ case, we have been Covid-safe since the beginning of lockdowns in 2020. We should have stayed open at least for the mental health of our customers.

“People are still going to work. Politicians are still going to work, and you can see on TV that they don’t have any regrowth. Who’s cutting their hair? I have written in multiple times to Andrew Barr, asking ‘Who’s cutting your hair, Mr Barr?’”

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