Nail salons are forgotten shops in the corona pandemic.
Last year the industry had to shut down for a total of six months.
Now resistance is stirring.
District
- Anyone who hears the words Corona aid and lockdown thinks of restaurants, retailers and hairdressers.
The example of a nail salon is almost never mentioned.
After the federal-state consultations, hairdressers are allowed to open their shops from March 1st.
Nail salons remain closed.
The salons are now calling for equality with barber shops.
Hairdressers and many retailers have been closed since March 16.
Nail salons were hit even harder: Body-hugging service providers such as salons had to close their doors during the partial lockdown at the beginning of January.
“From March to March we were only allowed to be open for six months,” says nail designer Martina Völkl-Klier, 52. She runs a hair salon and is the head of the association of around 3,000 nail salons in Bavaria.
Corona policy in Bavaria: "Politicians don't know what it is like in nail salons"
“Politicians don't know what it's like in nail salons,” she says.
Even before the pandemic, employees in the salons were wearing surgical masks.
Völkl-Klier has been fighting for the opening of nail salons since March, and has presented a hygiene concept to the state government.
So far without success.
Protective masks for customers and employees, comprehensive hand hygiene, sterilized tools, plastic shields with cutouts for customers' hands.
The concept is better than that of hairdressers and sometimes stricter than in a doctor's office, says the nail designer.
“Despite the concepts, we are not heard.” This is due to the fact that nail salons are not well respected in society, and parts of the salons are perceived in the “direction of red light”.
Völkl-Klier: "Without treatment, many citizens could not walk"
Nail salons are important facilities.
Nail designers would work with physical therapists and dermatologists.
Cosmetics specialists would support therapies, for example for acne and psoriasis.
Foot care is especially important for the elderly, without treatment, many citizens can no longer walk.
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Separated by a plexiglass, nail designers could safely treat customers, says Völkl-Klier.
© Gerald Förtsch
The Bavarian Ministry of Health does not consider treatments in nail salons to be absolutely necessary.
Therefore they must remain closed.
Haircuts, on the other hand, are part of daily needs, and a visit to the hairdresser is "a necessary hygienic aspect," the spokesman continued.
People could also cut their own nails.
Hygiene concepts would not change anything in the decision of the ministry.
Danger in the industry: undeclared work could get out of hand
Nail salons are only allowed to open the shop for medical treatments for people from care level 2 and for patients with a doctor's prescription.
“That's not worth mentioning,” says Völkl-Klier.
Undeclared work would currently get out of hand.
The risk of infection is enormous here.
To counter this problem, too, Völkl-Klier wants to reopen nail studios.
“They won't let us work until Easter,” she says.
The nail designer continues to fight to be heard and to be allowed to work.
You can read all current developments in the Corona situation in the Free State in the news ticker for Bavaria.
