2 Missouri hairstylists work despite Covid-19 symptoms, expose 140 customers to virus
Two Missouri hairstylists, who worked for up to eight days despite having Covid-19 symptoms before testing positive, have potentially exposed 140 customers to the new coronavirus, health officials said.
During the eight days, the first hairstylist from Great Clips who tested positive, came in contact with 84 clients, according to a statement from the Springfield-Greene Health Department on May 22. The following day, the department said another hairstylist from the same salon had Covid-19, directly exposing 56 customers. These events unfolded over a period of nine days, between May 12 and May 20.
In early May, Missouri opened its doors to business, including concerts and movie theaters, to operate with social distancing measures. The state has confirmed more than 12,000 cases and 600 deaths, as of May 24.
Many states that eased restrictions prematurely are seeing an uptick in cases. “The bottom line is a lot of states are now reopening activity against a backdrop that does not meet the criteria that the White House set out in terms of when it would be safe to reopen,” the former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr Scott Gottlieb, told CNBC last week. “We are going to see cases go up now that we are reopening," he said.
The Missouri development comes shortly after the warning by experts. The health department, however, does not expect to see additional cases resulting from exposure to the infected hairstylists. "It is the hope of the department that because face coverings were worn throughout this exposure timeline, no additional cases will result," they said in a statement.
The officials will offer to test to all the customers and other co-workers. The department has released the travel history of the two stylists to alert people who may have been at the same location. However, they need to isolate themselves only if signs of Covid-19 appear, they said. Individuals need to keep a close eye for symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of breath, chills, muscle pain, sore throat and new loss of taste or smell, the officials have advised.
The health department could quickly carry out contact tracing because the salon kept a good record of all visiting customers. "I am going to be honest with you -- We cannot have many more of these. We cannot make this a regular habit or our capabilities as a community will be strained," Clay Goddard, director of the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, said during a press conference.
The Great Clips franchisees and co-owners of CM Clips, LLC, said they are taking appropriate steps after these developments. "The well-being of Great Clips customers and stylists in the salon is our top priority, and proper sanitization has always been an important cosmetology industry practice for Great Clips salons. We’ve closed the salon where the employee works, and it’s currently undergoing additional sanitizing and deep cleaning consistent with guidance from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department and the CDC. We will reopen the salon based on guidance from the health department," they said in a statement.