Toronto hair salons and barber shops might not open in 2 weeks after all

A concerning uptick in new cases of COVID-19 could soon squash the hopes of all Toronto residents who were hoping to get (legal) haircuts sometime in the near future, as officials grow wary of salons and barber shops reopening as planned.

Toronto Mayor John Tory issued the ominous warning on Monday during an interview with CP24, noting that the province could very well reverse its recent decision to allow personal care services in all zoned regions as of April 12.

The Ford government announced on Friday that hair salons, nail salons, barber shops and tattoo studios had been given the preemptive go-ahead to reopen in two weeks' time.

People in Toronto, where salons have been closed for more than four months now, were ecstatic to finally have a rough end-date in sight for their overgrown roots and mops.

But nothing is certain, Tory clarified on Monday after being asked if rising case numbers would impact the province's personal care service plans.

Hair salons and personal care services are reopening in Toronto https://t.co/5WxFWTXsuc #Toronto #HairSalon #TOpoli

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"I think that if the numbers are not where they should be... that they may not," said Tory of salons reopening on Monday, April 12.

"I certainly myself can tell you right now that I will not be supporting anything less than extremely cautious reopenings in the event that the health numbers are poor," said the mayor. "And you know, unfortunately, the trend lines from this past week have not been good."

Tory said that he and provincial health officials are still taking everything "day by day" and that restrictions will evolve based on how well each region is combatting the health crisis at any given time.

If COVID-19 cases are still climbing in Toronto in two weeks, salons could have quite a mess of appointment postponements on their hands.

"I wouldn't be certain of anything at this stage," said Tory of what April 12 holds. "I think it's a very fluid situation just because of the health numbers."