California reopening to include barbershops, salons

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said Tuesday that barbershops and hair salons can reopen immediately in counties that have been cleared to move faster on lifting coronavirus restrictions.

The governor’s announcement is part of an ongoing relaxation of orders intended to help prevent spread of COVID-19.

The state’s guidance says customers and workers in barbershops and salons must wear face coverings during hair-cutting and other close-contact services.

Forty-seven of California’s 58 counties have been granted variances to state orders that allow them to move faster on reopening.

Los Angeles County and San Francisco Bay Area counties are not among them.

In expanding reopening to barbershops and hair salons, Newsom cited the extent of testing capability and stability in the rate of positive cases.

But after a long holiday weekend that saw many people out and about, the governor urged a sober recognition that the pandemic is not over and to continue measures such as social distancing and covering faces.

Gov. Newsom also responded to a reporter question about recent tweets from President Donald Trump calling into question the legality of mail-in-ballots.

Newsom recently signed an executive order directing California counties to make mail-in ballots available to all registered voters.

Several states are looking at remote voting possibilities. Michigan’s Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson said last week that all registered Michigan voters were sent absentee ballot applications. The move drew the ire of President Trump, who threatened to hold up federal funding.

Separately, the Republican National Committee and other Republican groups filed a lawsuit against California to try to stop the state from mailing absentee ballots to voters ahead of the November election.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death.