Two Missouri hairstylists with coronavirus ignored their symptoms and continued working at the same salon this month, possibly exposing over 100 people to the deadly virus.
According to CNN , the first unnamed hairdresser saw 84 customers while working at Great Clips in Springfield, with seven other co-workers being notified of the potential exposure, as well. Now reports from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department claim at least one other stylist at the same salon was subsequently tested and found to also be positive for COVID-19.
RELATED STORIES
Information about the coronavirus pandemic is rapidly changing and Diply is committed to providing the most recent data as it becomes available. Some of the information in this story may have changed since publication, and we encourage readers to use online resources from CDC and WHO to stay up to date on the latest information surrounding COVID-19.
It’s unclear when exactly the first stylist tested positive for the virus, but it’s been revealed that she worked at the salon from May 12-20.
“The individual and their clients were wearing face coverings. The 84 clients potentially directly exposed will be notified by the Health Department and be offered testing, as will seven coworkers,” the Springfield-Greene County Health Department said in a statement, as per CNN .
“It is the hope of the department that because face coverings were worn throughout this exposure timeline, no additional cases will result.”
Thankfully, the stylist reportedly kept detailed records of her clients, making it possible for health officials to trace possible exposure.
A timeline of the woman’s possible community exposure within this period, including a visit to Dairy Queen, a Walmart, and her local CVS pharmacy, were also released.
“I’m gong to be honest with you: We can’t have many more of these,” Clay Goddard, director of the health department, said at a news conference. “We can’t make this a regular habit or our capabilities as a community will be strained.”
On May 23 it was revealed that a second stylist at the salon tested positive for the virus, bringing the number of possible exposures to 140.
According to a press release from the Springfield-Greene County Health Department, the second stylist continued to work for five days, even while experiencing “mild symptoms”.
“The individual and their clients were wearing face coverings,” the release reads. “The 56 clients potentially directly exposed will be notified by the Health Department and be offered testing.”
In light of this news, Great Clips has announced it has closed its Springfield location to undergo thorough sanitizing and deep-cleaning.
“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,” the company told KYTV in a statement. “We’ve closed the salon where the employee works and it’s currently undergoing additional sanitizing and deep cleaning.”
