Jennifer Young offers advice for spas on England’s ‘Freedom Day’

The UK government has announced that the majority of restrictions relating to Covid-19 will be relaxed on Monday, July 19 in England. This is a major date for many hospitality and spa businesses as they will be allowed to operate at full capacity once again, having spent many months on operating at 50% capacity or less.

Jennifer Young, founder, Jennifer Young Training School, offers her thoughts on the impact of  ‘Freedom Day’ for the spa industry.

What does ‘Freedom Day’ mean for spas?

On July 6, The Telegraph reported that ‘Freedom Day’ will see end of a raft of legal obligations, including on face masks, with the public and businesses told to use ‘common sense’.

The Government has announced a lifting of restrictions in England, and soon they will ‘move away from stringent restrictions on everyone’s day-to-day lives, towards advising people on how to protect themselves and others’.

What does that mean for spas, salons, clinics and therapists?

There is, and always has been, UK law in place (similar laws are in place across most of the world) requiring those at work to manage the risk of infection for their employees and others who may be affected by their work activity.

In wellness, this translates to a requirement to manage the risk to and from clients. The onset of a global pandemic did not change this requirement, it merely gave us another health risk to manage.

Specific guidance and legislation took the decisions about control measures away from our industry. We always had to assess risk, but the outcome of the assessments were no longer our responsibility. The use of masks and visors was imposed upon us.

But the announcement outlined in The Telegraph changes everything. No longer are we given control measures. The public and businesses are encouraged to rely on ‘common sense’. The laws remain in place, we still have duties in civil law (those that can result in our being sued), but common sense is touted as the way forward.

That’s all well and good, but what about the emotional side of things? You might not want to remove your visor and mask, your clients might prefer you to keep them in place. You could be one of the many therapists who felt unable to practice whilst wearing a mask. You may be clinically vulnerable or work with those who are. On the other hand, you may be ready to throw away any and all face coverings and be looking forward to dancing on the tables in your favourite club.

How should spa operators move forward in this climate?

Arguably, responsibility for infection control has just passed into your hands. So, what now? Panic? No, just take a moment to remember that you can do this, you have done this before, and you will continue to do this. Forget about common sense, return to the safe hands of the law and the guidance published with the sole purpose of helping you to comply. That is your safe place.