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Shear Transformations in Palatka
By Sarah Cavacini and Wayne Smith
Palatka Daily News
scavacini@palatkadailynews.com
wsmith@palatkadailynews.com
Hours after Putnam County health officials reported no new coronavirus cases for the third consecutive day, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Friday nail salons, barbershops and hair salons can reopen Monday.
The announcement came from DeSantis’ Facebook page, where an Orlando barber, J Henry, announced the plan to reopen as part of Phase 1. The first phase of the reopening began Monday.
“We are ready to reopen and make some money,” Henry said in the video. “We want to make sure we keep one thing in mind: safety is always first.”
Palatka hairstylist Krys Nelson, owner of Shear Transformations, 118 S. Ninth St., reopened her hair salon the day before the announcement because she said she needed to support her family. She received calls from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation employees asking her to shut down when she opened.
She said no because she couldn’t afford to sit back anymore. On Friday alone, Nelson said, she cut hair for 26 people from 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.
“I guess (the government) just got tired of listening to (complaints),” Nelson said. “I guess it’s just a fight that they didn’t want.”
As nail salons, hair salons and barbershops prepare to reopen, the number of Putnam County coronavirus cases held at 120, with testing increasing to 2,282 people. There were 2,158 negative cases, according to floridadisaster.org, and four cases pending Friday.
The department said Thursday 90 residents have recovered from the virus, but four people have died, including two this week.
Hair salons are advised to maintain safety protocols such as wearing face masks, booking by appointment and extra sanitation, according to DeSantis’ video.
Crystal Alexander, owner of The tHairapy Centre, 3413 St. Johns Ave. in Palatka, said she was waiting to see if DeSantis would release protocol guidelines.
“They haven’t given us much time to prepare if there are any new standards,” Alexander said. “For the most part, we will be ready.”
Although salons are reopening and coronavirus cases have not increased, county officials advised residents to still take precautions.
“This trend does not mean we will not have any new cases,” Mary Garcia, administrator for the Florida Department of Health in Putnam County, said in a statement. “We know there are positive cases out there and through additional testing and case tracing, we will continue to identify them.”
The number of coronavirus cases statewide reached 39,199 by Friday, with 1,669 deaths statewide, according to floridadisaster.org.
Mayor Terrill Hill said he was encouraged by the report of no new cases but wants residents to continue to remain cautious.
“It’s great that we’re seeing a flattening of the curve here in Putnam County, and we’ve increased testing significantly,” Hill said. “We just have to continue to all be responsible. And if you’re required to be quarantined, stay home and isolate yourself. We should continue to take precautions and practice social distancing.”
Hill called the opening of hair salons and other businesses a “double-edged sword.”
“I think (hair salons are) one of the most difficult activities to have and practice social distancing,” Hill said. “I definitely feel for the business owners in those positions, but I think that we’re still behind the curve, particularly in this community.
“I worry about us opening up commerce and worrying about profits before we worry about people. We learn more about COVID every day. I don’t want us to be hasty in reopening up society and putting ourselves in the position where we find ourselves with a second breakout in the early fall as predicted.”