City officials in San Francisco will now allow hair salons and certain other businesses to reopen in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, coming days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) visited one, sparking a nationwide outcry.
“I’m so glad we can move forward earlier than expected to reopen more businesses that have been closed since March. These businesses have been struggling, and starting Monday, they’ll finally be able to serve customers again, with the necessary safety precautions and modifications in place,” the mayor continued. “It’s on all of us to keep doing our part so that we can get more businesses reopened, get our kids back in school, and keep making progress on our economic recovery.”
Breed, a Democrat, urged locals to wear face coverings, keeping distance, and washing hands.
Pelosi visited ESalonSF several weeks ago, and video footage of the incident was sent to news outlets. The longtime congresswoman was seen walking through the business with wet hair and not wearing a mask, while the stylist could be seen walking behind her with a black mask on. Salons in the city have been shut down since March.
Pelosi responded to criticism about her visit—which largely came from Republicans—saying that she was “set up” by the hair salon owner. “I take responsibility for trusting the word of the neighborhood salon that I have been to many times,” Pelosi told reporters last week. “When they said they could accommodate people one at a time, and we can set up that time, I trusted that.”
“The salon owes me an apology for setting me up,” Pelosi added.
Erica Kious, the owner of the salon, asserted that Pelosi’s claims were false.
“There was no way I could’ve set that up,” Kious said. “I’ve had a camera system in there for five years. I mean, I didn’t go in there and turn cameras on as soon as she walked in and set her up. So that is absolutely false.”
