Bixby City Council clears personal care businesses to reopen on Saturday

“If they’re wearing a mask, you know, one person at a time, one client at a time, I’m fine with it,” Councilor Brad Girard said during a special meeting broadcast on Facebook Live. He said he believed some salons in the city had already opened when Stitt cleared the way for them to do so, and that the state cosmetology and barbering board has “very extensive” guidelines on how workers should ensure safety for themselves and their clients amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

In debating whether to approve the reopening, Guthrie said many hairstylists are “1099 employees,” or independent contractors, which means they often do not qualify for traditional unemployment funds from the federal government. He also said those workers also haven’t yet been able to get money from the federal pandemic assistance fund.

However, Guthrie said he’s received “about 50/50” feedback from salon workers in the city on whether they feel it is safe enough to reopen their businesses. He noted personal care businesses in the Tulsa city limits will not be able to open until May 1.

Bixby City Attorney Steve Oakley said there would be no prosecutions this weekend for violations of provisions of the city’s safer-at-home ordinance that conflict with Stitt’s executive order. Councilors will meet again Monday to discuss formally amending the ordinance and talk about a path forward on reopening.

While Girard said workers should wear a mask while on the job, he acknowledged clients can’t always do that while receiving services such as a haircut. Councilor John Easton replied that the cosmetology and barbering guidelines indicate clients are supposed to wear masks or cover their mouths and noses with towels when they are at the “shampoo bowl” stage of a salon service.

Easton said it was clear the board went through “a great deal of trouble” to create the guidelines.

“I just think we really need to hammer down ‘One person at a time,’ ” Girard said of the city’s newly relaxed enforcement.

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