Illinois (ECWd) –
It appears Illinois Governor Pritzker is in desperate need of new legal counsel as the hits keep coming and there appears to be no end to the door openings for lawyers to file discrimination lawsuits against the Governor.
Many Salon operators may wish to contact Tom DeVore, attorney at law in Greenville, Illinois as it appears clear, many have been discriminated against and the fact pattern parallels those of the fitness center discrimination we covered in this article. In this case, the facts point to a completely dysfunctional government and it is going to cost the taxpayers of this state a fortune.
Executive Order 32 – Paragraph 7 in part says:
“Healthcare and Public Health Operations. For purposes of this Executive Order, individuals may leave their residence to work for or obtain services through Healthcare aud Public Health Operations.”
“Healthcare and Public Health Operations also includes veterinary care and all healthcare and grooming services provided to animals.”
“Healthcare and Public Health Operations shall be construed broadly to avoid any impacts to the delivery of healthcare, broadly defined. Healthcare and Public Health Operations does not include fitness and exercise gyms, spas, salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, and similar facilities.”
While many have chimed in with disgust about not being able to get their own hair done while their pet can, the discrimination goes far beyond fluffy and fido.
Note where the EO outlines that Healthcare and Public Health Operations “shall be construed broadly to avoid any impacts to the delivery of healthcare, broadly defined.” So how broad can we go as it relates to salons, considering it specifically states Healthcare and Public Health Operations does not include salons?
Who knew the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (DCEO), was in the business of determining what meets the standard of Healthcare and Public Health Operations?
According to Jason Anderson with Grants Management of DCEO, they have found “hair extensions that go unserviced cause medical complications to the scalp”. This confirms the first of my knowledge that DCEO was in the business of identifying medical complications of hair extensions. Who knew servicing hair extensions prevented physical and psychological harm?
Can I make the argument that getting my hair cut (cutting is servicing), prevents physical and psychological harm?
Because of the alleged determination, Anderson cites “Per the executive order, your business, Clean Beauty Boutique, located at 1308 N Cedar Rd, New Lenox, IL, 60451, is allowed to operate per the “Essential Healthcare and Public Health Operations”. (Section 7, page 6)
That would be the same Section 7 page 6 stating Healthcare and Public Health Operations does not include fitness and exercise gyms, spas, salons, barber shops, tattoo parlors, and similar facilities.
So for all those who read the plain language of the Executive Order, which we don’t believe has any weight under Illinois law, you are led to believe Salons are not included as one of those businesses that can operate.
Yet we find DCEO Grant Manager Jason Anderson issuing directives to business owners claiming the EO says something different than what it says and since a particular hair extension service is a function of a particular salon, then they are OK to operate provided they adhere to the COVID protocols laid out in the Governor’s order and set forth by the IDPH.
Salon owners, did you get that?
Those who service hair extensions get to open their doors provided they adhere to COVID protocols but if you don’t do hair extensions you arr not allowed to open, even if you adhere to the same COVID protocols. That points to clear discrimination.
One can only wonder when a State Employee working in Grant Management became a voice of authority for hair extensions, but that is for another article.
In light of this amazing medical determination by Jason Anderson with Grant Management, DCEO, we encourage all salon owners to do two things.
- Contact Tom Devore – [email protected] (one of his clients is responsible for this article)
- Open your doors, following the COVID protocols, and provide hair extension service, which could be something as simple as washing those extensions. While many will never have a client that walks through their doors to have those extensions serviced, providing such a service, means you could open your doors.
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. Restricting opening to only those that provide a specific service is discriminatory.
To see a copy of what may be the most comical communication from a government official, click here or download below.
Hair Extension.
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