Eases the conditions for providing beauty services to vaccinated clients

As the epidemiological situation in the country improves, at its meeting on 22 June this year, the Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments to Cabinet Regulation No. 360 of 9 June 2020, "Epidemiological Safety Measures for the Containment of the Spread of COVID-19 Infection", removing beauty and wellness services from the list of prohibited services, significantly easing the provision of services by service providers and clients who have been vaccinated against or have recovered from COVID-19, and reviewing the requirements for the provision of beauty and wellness services in general.

The Government decided that a service provider who has been vaccinated against or has recovered from COVID-19 may provide a beauty service to a client who has been vaccinated against or has recovered from COVID-19 without restrictions.

A vaccinated service provider may provide a service to any person, that is, including a person who cannot present a valid interoperable certificate, provided that the service is provided individually (in a separate room).

Overall, the Cabinet regulations stipulate that beauty and wellness services are provided in the so-called "yellow regime"—that is, both the service provider and the recipient may present a valid interoperable (vaccination/recovery/testing) certificate.

Several other conditions for providing services have also been eased, for example, the interval between service recipients has been reduced from 20 minutes to 15 minutes; the use of gloves is required for those service providers for whom this is possible; and persons who can present a valid interoperable certificate may dispense with an FFP2 or FFP3 respirator without a valve. It is important to note that, when providing public bathhouse and sauna services, as in the case of public swimming pools, 10 m2 of publicly accessible floor space must be provided per person if the 14-day cumulative incidence rate is between 20 and 100 per 100,000 inhabitants, or 15 m2 if this rate rises above 100.

It has also been stipulated that hairdressers, manicurists, pedicurists and podologists, as well as their clients, may, during the specified transitional period until 1 September 2021, not comply with the requirement to have a valid interoperable certificate.

We remind you that compliance with the requirements is monitored by the Health Inspectorate, the State Police and municipal police. The Consumer Rights Protection Centre is also authorised to monitor compliance with the requirements concerning the maximum permitted number of visitors, the proper use of personal protective equipment, and the availability of self-monitoring sheets for beauty and wellness service providers.

The amendments to Cabinet Regulation No. 360 of 9 June 2020, "Epidemiological Safety Measures for the Containment of the Spread of COVID-19 Infection", can be viewed in detail on the Cabinet of Ministers website. The requirements for beauty and wellness service providers are set out in detail in Sections 24.21–24.27 of Chapter II of the Cabinet regulations, as well as in Sections 14.6, 38.28, 38.31, 38.34 and 97.

Author:

Public Relations Division

Ministry of Economics

em.gov.lv