Certain personal service facilities may need to be altered or postponed to maintain two metres of physical distancing between clients. However, some employees will not be able to maintain this separation during the provision of service. Therefore, measures such as correct personal protective equipment (PPE) and self-monitoring shall be applied.
Clients should attend appointments alone and not bring along friends or children.
Clients should arrive no more than five minutes before the expected appointments, and any waiting area should be set up so clients are at least two metres apart. Remove unnecessary communal items, such as candy, magazines and complimentary phone chargers. Waiting chairs must be cleaned and disinfected after each client.
In order to accommodate physical distancing, appointment times may need to be staggered. During appointments and services, clients must be seated at least two metres from each other.
Alternative solutions to waiting in the office should be considered, such as asking people to wait in vehicles and text messaging or calling when appointments are ready.
During transactions, if possible, limit the exchange of papers such as receipts. Where possible, payments should be accepted through contactless methods (e.g. tap or e-transfer).
Beverages (coffee, tea, water) must not be offered at this time.
Handwashing stations and/or approved hand sanitizers should be available, and clients should be encouraged to use them upon entering and exiting. They should also be available at each station. Hand sanitizers must be approved by Health Canada (DIN or NPN number).
Staffrooms and break rooms should be arranged to follow physical distancing practices. Consider staggered break times to reduce employee gathering numbers.
Essential shared facilities, such as telephones, computers, washrooms and laundry rooms, must receive increased cleaning and disinfection. Shared spaces used by multiple clients must be cleaned and disinfected between clients.
Retail space should be modified to implement physical distancing requirements. This may include direction for customers on distancing in lines, limiting the number of patrons in the store, etc. Where possible, discourage browsing of retail products and support online or telephone purchases with front of store pickup and strict no return policies. Remove samples and testers.
When booking appointments, clients should be reminded to reschedule if they become sick or are placed on self-isolation. Clients should be screened prior to sitting for appointments by asking if they are ill or symptomatic. No services should be performed on ill or symptomatic clients.
Since many facilities have been closed for a prolonged period of time, service providers must ensure that all tools and equipment receive proper maintenance and testing to ensure safe usage, including autoclaves and sterilizers.