WESTWOOD – Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn announced on Wednesday, September 2, that salons and barbershops in Los Angeles County can open at 25% capacity, making it the third time the safety protocol changed within a week.

“Everybody is very frustrated. Because of this inconsistency, it built up a lot of frustration between the salon owners and the clients,” Kien Pran, the owner of KT Salon, told Canyon News.

On Friday, August 28, Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a new color-coded, four-tier system, assigning each county with a tier to determine which business can reopen and what the limitations are based on the new protocol.

According to the rating system, Los Angeles County falls into “purple,” so places such as hair salons, nail salons and shopping centers can provide indoor service at 25% capacity.

However, hours after the state’s announcement, the Los Angeles County Health Department tweeted that salons were not allowed to open. And in less than a week, the guideline was reversed again, allowing salons and barbershops to open.

Pran said he felt frustrated because the protocol keeps changing, adding that the inconsistency brings concerns to his clients as well. He joined the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) and emphasized that without the efforts of this community, his salons would have been left behind “without everybody knowing.”

“They need to figure out the situation,” Kya Wilkerson of Trust Hair Salon told Canyon News. In the past weeks, his salon could only provide outdoor service without doing any chemical work.

He emphasized that the government should figure out what salons can do and what is safe, adding “we need to go by the rule, unfortunately.”

Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, salons and barbershops have closed for several months and the safety guidelines have also changed several times.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi who was seen walking into a hair salon indoors despite San Francisco’s current restriction also drew criticism.

Salon owners such as Pran and Wilkerson find it difficult to operate their businesses, hoping there is a consistent plan for them to follow.

“Options for increasing capacity will be re-evaluated three weeks after Labor Day,” tweeted Hahn.