2020 - MARCH TO OCTOBER COVID -19 INDUSTRY ACTIONS OVERVIEW
March - COVID-19 lockdown
March – May 2020 – Talks with regulators, research conducted to provide guideline suggestions.
May 2020 - Research conducted to provide guideline suggestions to DPOR and Governor’s office. Over 8 pages of resources compiled from other states, CDC, OSHA guidelines and was submitted. This data was reviewed by several VSASCP members who are Licensed Estheticians, school and spa owners.
April 2020 - VSASCP leadership and a member of VSASCP served on the Business Sector Taskforce for Reopening Virginia - recommendations to reopen without a mask were met with scientific data and concerns by the heath team surrounding proximity (Less than 6 feet) and duration (longer than 10 minutes).
April, May June 2020 - Esthetician stakeholders wrote letters, made calls and provided input to VSASCP during information review sessions of information that was sent regulators during the April, May June time frames.
5/8/2020 - Phase One guidelines released. Estheticians can perform facials with a mask on the client and all other treatments that do not require the client to remove the mask.
6/2/2020 - Phase Two guidelines released. Estheticians can perform facials with a mask on the client and all other treatments that do not require the client to remove the mask.
6/18/2020 - Phase Three guidelines released. Estheticians can perform facials with a mask on the client and all other treatments that do not require the client to remove the mask.
June 2020 - VSASCP Petition with 3,000 signatures was provided to the Governor’s office:
https://www.change.org/p/virginia-estheticians-master-estheticians-allow-virginia-estheticians-to-perform-facials-on-clients-in-phase-3
Petition:
“Virginia Estheticians and Master Estheticians are ready to return to work and offer facial and skin care treatments on clients immediately with updated safety guidelines.
All non facial treatments that are currently allowed, have stringent safety guidelines in place that the Esthetician Community is currently successfully following.
VSASCP has a guidance document, composed by industry leaders and subject matter experts in the field of Esthetics and Infection Control, that “updates the safety guidelines and requirements” and takes into account the modifications necessary to take into account current pandemic. These updates will allow us to safely return to work right away and are being provided to the Governor’s office.
For clients who feel comfortable removing their mask and receiving a facial treatment, please allow them to do so.
Help us achieve this goal by affirming that you support this cause. “
June 26, 2020 -
Call with Governors office between VSASCP leadership and a local spa owner. Questions are posed on “what info was needed for the Governors office and
what the next steps were”. We were instructed by the Governor’s office to have a meeting with DPOR to discuss options for moving forward with a safe reopening for facials in Virginia. We were tasked with finding options to address the heath team’s concerns with proximity (Less than 6 feet) and duration (longer than 10 minutes) when safely providing skin treatments.
7/8/2020 - VSASCP leadership had call with DPOR. (The Spa owner opted to follow a different path). While the prospect of the ultimate goal of getting “facial treatments without a mask” approved was not achieved on the DPOR call, and as the COVID cases surged, we discussed using a smaller mask as long as the nose and mouth remained covered and the mask was not manipulated or worked under as well as discussed a “mask on mask off protocol”.
We later successful developed the protocols that would allow for the mask to be intermittently removed throughout the facial or skin treatment “that could have been an immediate solution to re-open Virginia long ago, for facials and skin treatments”. (For the less than 10 minutes as cited as required by VDH). This is for was later send to DPOR and the Governor’s office.
July 2020 - VSASCP leadership began to compile an 8 page Research Paper which spanned over a few months and was later released on 8/14/2020 to DPOR & Governor’s office: “A Study On COVID-19 Transmission During Unmasked Treatments in High-Volume Esthetician Schools.” The paper included data as well as protocols successfully used in Virginia Esthetician schools. (The protocols are substantially similar to info submitted in May 2020 with some updates to include information from other states reopening.
7/10/2020 - Follow up with DPOR: “The agency will take a neither support or oppose position on the mask idea we discussed on Wed.”
7/20/2020 - DPOR updated on “Mask on Mask off Protocol” to overcome duration concerns of VDH. Governor’s office updated as well around this time.
....and this is the point in time this is where ALL FORWARD MOVEMENT stopped.
Unfortunately in July forward movement stopped. We opined and strategized ... How would we be able to move forward with reopening Virginia for unmasked facials, with COVID cases on the rise, and with a pending legal action requiring the Governor’s office to defend Phase 3 Spa sector guidelines? You can’t expect the Governor’s office to relax Phase 3 guidelines when they must defend the Office’s actions, all while COVID was on the rise and certain parts of Virginia had reverted and additional restrictions were imposed.
July 2020 - VSASCP leadership then knew we were in “crisis mode” and all of our hard work was at risk due to a standstill. VSASCP leadership felt the next best move would be to seek out spas who had reopened successfully in other states. VSASCP leadership immediately called upon Hand and Stone and Massage Envy to join together and help the current team in place. They stepped up, without hesitation, to join our efforts to help Virginia Estheticians.
They each hired a lobbyist and joined VSASCP’s team that was being advised by a legal team on how to best navigate and interpret the guidelines and regulations. The goals was to “go forward with positive interactions and try to undo what stopped talks in the Governor’s office”.
VSASCP “passed the lobbyist baton” and decided to not move forward with lobbyists as originally planned due to their unique perspective of being able to convey that they had been operational in other states. VSASCP decided to continue with their legal team advising them on how to best navigate the guidelines because we felt Massage Envy and Hand & Stone had the unique perspective of successful implementation for reopening in other states.
August 2020 -
The first report/opinion we received from the lobbyist was the following (8/12/2020):
“It’s my understanding that the conversations with DPOR previously were successful. The issue occurred at the Governor’s office due to the lawsuit being filed which basically stopped any forward movement. We have had to reengage and do some damage control with the Governors office due to that.”
(See picture)
“The successful conversations” that the lobbyist referenced are the ones that VSASCP leadership had with DPOR, which resulted in forward movement, and protocols that we developed with key industry stakeholders.
During this time, not only have we submitted protocol options, we also submitted an eight-page study on “the lack of COVID transfer in high-volume esthetician schools”. This research project was an enormous collaborative undertaking. We are grateful to the esthetician schools who participated in the study and provided data and operating protocols that, demonstrated good practices could be enacted, and this helped produce forward movement in the Governor’s office. Massage Envy and Hand and Stone were key players in getting us to where we are today and overcoming the hurdles presented to our industry in July, which played an integral part stopping our forward movement.
9/8/2020 - 9/11/2020
On 9/8/2020 we received a letter affirming facials with masks on are still an option, as they have been all along.
On Friday 9/11/2020, we received clarification from the Governor’s office that we could move forward with a smaller mask. (A letter earlier in the week clarified the criteria included covering the nose and mouth as the guidelines stated. Also Keep in mind Estheticians were always allowed to perform facials or any other service with a mask on.) The clarification of using a smaller mask was given "directly to Massage Envy Leadership and their lobbyist on a call on at 2:00 on Friday 9/11/2020". They conveyed this information to VSASCP. This was also verified by VSASCP leadership in a call to our contact at the Governor's office. The smaller mask option was the option discussed in the DPOR call between DPOR leadership and VSASCP leadership on 7/8/2020. We were advised that there is no deviation from the original mask mandate of having the nose and mouth covered -therefore there are no further steps necessary for the membership to move forward with a smaller mask.
The next obstacle we had to overcome was that there was no such “smaller mask” readily-available in the marketplace. VSASCP leadership found picture / prototype and search for options. The next step was to get a similar mask into the hands of Virginia estheticians.
Immediately, we jumped into action and made calls to several manufacturers to move forward with ideas on a prototype for a mask and then made contact with a Virginia-based businessperson who was happy to listen to our need and provide another prototype that could be purchased. They are very excited for the opportunity to produce this mask and help Estheticians get back to work.
On 9/8/2020 we received a letter affirming facials with masks on are still an option, as they have been all along.
On Friday 9/11/2020, we received clarification from the Governor’s office that we could move forward with a smaller mask. (A letter earlier in the week clarified the criteria included covering the nose and mouth as the guidelines stated. Also Keep in mind Estheticians were always allowed to perform facials or any other service with a mask on.) The clarification of using a smaller mask was given "directly to Massage Envy Leadership and their lobbyist on a call on at 2:00 on Friday 9/11/2020". They conveyed this information to VSASCP. This was also verified by VSASCP leadership in a call to our contact at the Governor's office. The smaller mask option was the option discussed in the DPOR call between DPOR leadership and VSASCP leadership on 7/8/2020. We were advised that there is no deviation from the original mask mandate of having the nose and mouth covered -therefore there are no further steps necessary for the membership to move forward with a smaller mask.
The next obstacle we had to overcome was that there was no such “smaller mask” readily-available in the marketplace. VSASCP leadership found picture / prototype and search for options. The next step was to get a similar mask into the hands of Virginia estheticians.
Immediately, we jumped into action and made calls to several manufacturers to move forward with ideas on a prototype for a mask and then made contact with a Virginia-based businessperson who was happy to listen to our need and provide another prototype that could be purchased. They are very excited for the opportunity to produce this mask and help Estheticians get back to work.
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We would like to thank all of the Estheticians in Virginia for your patience and understanding throughout these difficult times and allowing us the opportunity to advocate and move forward on your behalf, resulting in the re-opening of Virginia with the newly approved mask option.
....So much has happened behind the scenes, and it has been a long hard journey, but we are still working to achieve forward movement and for a safe and full return to facials and skin treatments in Virginia.
IN CLOSING, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING MORE GOOD NEWS IN THE FUTURE.
....So much has happened behind the scenes, and it has been a long hard journey, but we are still working to achieve forward movement and for a safe and full return to facials and skin treatments in Virginia.
IN CLOSING, THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO SHARING MORE GOOD NEWS IN THE FUTURE.
September 28 2020 -
Legislative language has been introduced by lobbiest to allow for Estheticians to return to work. This language has to be approved by the delegates and senators in the general assembly session.
10/14/2020 UPDATE: Massage Envy Lobbiest Update:
“Mask Removal Language” approved & now off to Governor’s office for signature (or he can strike the language).
10/21/2020 UPDATE:
Massage Envy Lobbiest Update:
Governor’s office is sending the budget bill back to the General Assembly for updates.
Legislative language has been introduced by lobbiest to allow for Estheticians to return to work. This language has to be approved by the delegates and senators in the general assembly session.
10/14/2020 UPDATE: Massage Envy Lobbiest Update:
“Mask Removal Language” approved & now off to Governor’s office for signature (or he can strike the language).
10/21/2020 UPDATE:
Massage Envy Lobbiest Update:
Governor’s office is sending the budget bill back to the General Assembly for updates.
