Johnson County crowds line up at salons and gyms on first day of COVID-19 reopening
With a mask wrapped around her face and a book placed on her lap, Gerri Tyandaol sat outside Great Clips in Shawnee for one hour on Monday — then was told it would be at least another hour before she could go inside.
“I didn’t realize they were going to be this busy,” she said. “But I don’t want to leave because I really want a haircut.”
Dozens of customers visited barbershops, hair and nail salons, tanning studios and gyms on Monday — the first day they were allowed to open in Johnson County. Last week, Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly announced the state would take a half-step forward and move into “Phase 1.5,” of her reopening plan.
That allowed salons to open by appointment only, and gyms to open as long as they keep locker rooms closed and don’t offer group classes. Gatherings remain limited to no more than 10 people.
But even as restrictions are relaxed, health officials advise everyone to stay home as much as possible and avoid close contact with others. Once residents start leaving their homes more frequently and returning to workplaces, health experts predict a rise in COVID-19 cases. If there are new outbreaks, officials could reimpose restrictions.
Still, some business owners said they were greeted by a line of customers, often standing six feet apart, as soon as they opened their doors on Monday.
Becca Dixon, manager of Snap Fitness in Shawnee, said residents were ready to be let inside when the business opened at 12:01 a.m. on Monday.
“I think everybody is ready to get back to working out,” Dixon said. “They’ve been trying to do in-home workouts, but they’re just not as effective as coming into the gym. Everybody likes to be consistent. And right now, they’ve kind of fallen off the wagon a little bit, so they are ready to get back on that system and ready to go.”
Trying to stay safe
As a steady stream of people poured in and out of hair and tanning salons, customers made conversation from six feet apart. Signs on windows warned them they wouldn’t be allowed without a mask. Employees handed out gloves and instructed clients to stay outside or wait in their cars.
Bijin Salon & Spa in Prairie Village had hundreds of messages when employees came back to work. They not only had to set up new appointments, they had to go through the new COVID-19 safety procedures with customers.
Clients were instructed to sign a waiver to confirm that they don’t have coronavirus symptoms or that they haven’t been around someone with symptoms in the last 14 days. Both employees and customers had their temperatures taken. Everyone was required to wear masks.
The salon isn’t doing shampoos or blow-drys for now. Salon employees already have safety precautions they follow — from washing their hands between customers to disinfecting brushes and combs. Now cleaning crews come around every 30 minutes.
“We are being very cautious and there is plenty of room for them to spread out for social distancing,” said Connie Suss, owner and co-founder. “I think they are very excited about coming in to get their hair done.”
Even with the new safety protocols, many customers said they were trying to be as cautious as possible. When stylists are cutting hair or giving a pedicure, it is impossible to follow much of health experts’ guidance on staying safe during the pandemic — especially the mainstay of six feet of social distance.
“I’m not going back to the day when we’d just come in and sit and chat with everybody,” Tyandaol said as she waited for a haircut. “Until things settle down, I’m going to wear my mask and my gloves and not touch anything.”
Masks at the gym?
Fitness centers also screened clients before allowing them to hit the gym. As residents checked in at Snap Fitness, they were asked whether they’ve been in contact with anyone who has been exposed to coronavirus and whether they’ve had any symptoms of the disease.
Then customers were given hand sanitizer and told the rules. Exercise equipment was taped off so people could only use it while keeping distance from others. And everyone was instructed to clean machines before and after using them.
“We already had that in place before we closed. I would say we are one of the cleanest gyms,” Dixon said. “We clean twice a day, and we’ve been trying to disinfect every two hours as much as we can.”
Many gyms are encouraging everyone to wear masks, but some said they are not mandating it while their members exercise.
At Anytime Fitness in Olathe, manager Rachelle Kircher said there were customers ready to work out as soon as they opened at 5 a.m., but only about five people were in the club at a time.
“People are being really respectful. We’re supplying masks and gloves if they feel that’s what they want to do. So, it’s up to them,” she said.
Because group fitness classes are not yet allowed, many yoga studios in Johnson County are preparing to open in mid-June.
“It’s probably a good thing because I think most people are not in a hurry to rush out to group classes,” said Angie Eckenroth, owner of Radiant Yoga Studio in Overland Park.
Eckenroth is still trying to figure out the logistics of keeping everyone in a yoga class separated.
“I think it will be really hard for gyms to keep their spaces and equipment disinfected unless they have extra help cleaning up after people,” she said. “It will be easier for us to implement social distancing with small class sizes and disinfecting after each class.”
This is the second wave of reopening in Johnson County. On May 11, retail stores and restaurants were allowed to open. But many businesses and public spaces must remain closed for now, including bars, theaters, museums, community centers and swimming pools.
The county is following Kansas’ direction on how to reopen the economy, although the statewide plan does allow jurisdictions to issue more stringent rules. Some Johnson County cities already have decided to keep pools closed for the entire summer, for example.
State leaders will continue to track coronavirus deaths and hospitalizations before allowing more businesses to reopen. Officials said last week they are still waiting to see how the first phase of reopening affected the spread of the virus.
Joseph LeMaster, Johnson County’s public health officer, said that because of mitigation efforts, death rates and hospitalizations have started declining.
“The data for Johnson County continues to improve very heart-warmingly and positively, I am glad to say,” LeMaster told county commissioners. “And that is a direct result of residents and businesses taking the pandemic seriously.”
But Johnson County continues to monitor several outbreaks at long-term care facilities, as well as a cluster of cases at an Olathe FedEx facility. As of Monday afternoon, the county had reported 652 COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths.
Sanmi Areola, Johnson County health director, urged residents to continue following safety recommendations. That includes frequent hand washing, wearing face masks or coverings, keeping six feet from others, disinfecting surfaces and staying home when feeling sick.
This story was originally published May 18, 2020 at 5:18 PM.
