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The North Texas Beauty Community Has Mixed Response To Coronavirus

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With the coronavirus beginning to spread in North Texas, there’s been mixed response among the professional beauty community about how to handle the virus.

Some studios are closing their doors, while others remain open and optimistic.

Dear Clark salon in Dallas' Uptown decided Tuesday to close indefinitely. Owner Holly Dear said it's an effort to keep her employees and clients safe.

"The beauty industry unfortunately isn't a necessity, so I feel like we need to support the government in shutting this virus down as quickly as possible," she said. 

Dear said her staff and clients were uneasy about people coming into the salon coughing and showing other signs of illness. Beth Hickey said that isn't out of the ordinary in this profession. The Arlington resident is chair of the Professional Beauty Association.

"I cannot tell you how many clients, at any given time, would come in saying, 'I just didn't feel good when I got up this morning, so I called off work, but I had to come get my nails done,'” she said. “And you're sitting there, and I'm holding their hands thinking: Are you kidding me?"

But Cynthia Gonzales, owner of Cynthia's Wax and Skincare Studio in Dallas, said so far everything has been business as usual for her. 

Because her certifications are through the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, she said she already has strict sanitation measures in place — like wearing gloves.

"It's not anything new I've implemented. It's something that's already been happening,” she said. 

Even with those measures in place, Ulta also announced it'll be closing stores nationwide until April 1. Still, Hickey said the beauty industry is going to be just fine.

"It's just being positive and staying on top of our safety and sanitation in our environments," she said. “So that not only our beauty professionals stay healthy but we help to keep our clients healthy as well.”

Hickey said the Professional Beauty Association is also recommending studios that plan to remain open add an extra 30 minutes to appointments, to sanitize and make sure clients don't cross paths.

Rebekah Morr is KERA's All Things Considered newscaster and producer. She came to KERA from NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., where she worked as a news assistant at Weekend All Things Considered.