Governor Gavin Newsom
1303 10th Street, Suite 1173
Sacramento, CA 05814
An Open Letter to Governor Newsom on Behalf of the Nail Industry:
You should be ashamed of yourself. Using your podium to state “this whole thing started in the state of California … in a nail salon” is not only irresponsible, but detrimental to the nail industry as a whole. As the Executive Editor of Nailpro, the premier magazine for the professional nail industry, I am appalled at your statement and deeply concerned about the long-term repercussions of it.
The subtext of your declaration links COVID-19 to nail salons, instilling fear in the minds of the consumer—not just in California, but nationwide. As a result, you are potentially ruining the livelihood of more than 80,000 California small business owners, as well as hundreds of thousands of manicurists across the country—working women, creative caretakers, single mothers, immigrants chasing the American Dream—by delaying the opening of nail salons and, further, scaring the public into avoiding these businesses.
“It is discrimination against nail salons,” says Michelle Saunders, 30-year veteran manicurist and owner of Saunders and James Nail Care in Oakland, California.
There is no need to mention where this all started; the location of the first community transmission is irrelevant. No business was prepared to address and prevent the spread of this virus at that time—not liquor stores, flower shops or nail salons. However, nail salons are required to implement sanitation guidelines provided by the State Board of Barbering and Cosmetology, unlike most of the other businesses that are being allowed to open now.
“I believe we are one of the cleanest industries, even before this pandemic,” says Yvett Garcia, co-owner of Bling It! nail salon in Sherman Oaks, California. “We have a whole state board who makes sure we keep everything sanitized, utilize one-time-use products, clean between each client, wash our hands, etc. We’ve been doing this since day one, even without the virus.”
click here to read the full article at nailpro.com
