"It would be great if they could enjoy a trip to their hair salon or barber.”

The Irish Hairdressers Federation have called on the government to allow salons to reopen for vaccinated clients. The federation cited the mental health benefits of their services, particularly for those who have been cocooning this past year. The organisation currently represents 500 salon owners across the country. In a statement, the IHF president Danielle Kennedy asked officials to consider their proposal: "Elderly people have been cocooning for the past year, and it would such a great boost for their mental health and general wellbeing to be able to pop down to the salon and talk to people in a safe, controlled environment. They get out of the house, get their hair done, feel refreshed and come away feeling great." Additionally, the IHF would like salons to reopen for fully vaccinated healthcare workers. She continued: "Not a day goes by where we don’t think about our heroic frontline healthcare workers have been under suffering under huge strain and trauma with this crisis for the past year. “I don’t know anybody who would deny them the boost they deserve, and it would be great if they could enjoy a trip to their hair salon or barber.” Kennedy underlined hairdressers' ability to operate safely and in correspondence with Covid-19 hygiene measures. "Hair salons are safe and hygienic places for them to go," she said. "We have extensively reviewed and updated our health and safety guidelines. We are continuing to review and refresh our guidelines as new information becomes available." As it stands, hairdressers remain closed under Level 5 restrictions. Meanwhile, the Irish Spa Association have called on the government to increase support for the industry as menus for black market beauty treatments continue to circulate across WhatsApp groups. An update on easing some of the Level 5 restrictions is expected to be made this week.