NEW LENOX – A New Lenox hair salon was granted special permission to open under Governor Pritzker's ongoing Executive Orders simply because they provide hair extensions – something that would be considered an essential service.
"The hair extension services that you provide your customers prevents physical and psychological harm. This essential service was permitted as of May 15, 2020," wrote Jason A. Anderson of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity in a letter to the owner of Clean Beauty Boutique on Cedar Road.
Anderson goes on to explain on a supplemental correspondence that, "DECO has found that hair extensions, should they not be serviced, could cause medical complications to the scalp. It is in this vein that salons who service customers who have hair extensions are able to open, providing they adhere to the co-vid protocols laid out in the governor's order and set forth by the Dept of Public Health."
Edgar County Watchdogs raised the possibility that allowing salons that provide hair extensions to be open and not allow those that do not provide hair extensions to remain shuttered could be discriminatory.
"For those that don’t understand the point of this article (they will chime in with comments about people dying for getting their hair done), if one salon can open following COVID protocols, then they all should be able to open," they suggest.
"Restricting opening to only those that provide a specific service is discriminatory."
First reported by Edgar County Watchdogs, Illinois Review queried Anderson about his notice via email, and he did not respond.
