Irish hairdresser develops special social distancing chair to protect customers from COVID-19

An Irish hairdresser has come up with an innovative solution to cut people's hair from a social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Jean McDonnell, from County Louth, has gone as far as to craft her own special chair to comply with social distancing guidelines. 

Irish hairdressers and barbers can't reopen until July 20, according to the Irish Government's roadmap to easing the COVID-19 lockdown, prompting people to either go months without a haircut or attempt a (sometimes ill-fated) DIY cut. 

McDonnell, however, thinks she has a solution that would enable hairdressers to open far earlier than July 20. 

She plans to open her salon - Jeanimac Viphair - as soon as possible pending agreement from Ireland's Chief Medical Officer Tony Holohan. 

McDonnell's husband Alan, who works as a carpenter, built her a special chair surrounded by perspex - a type of protective, see-through plastic. 

A small opening at the back of the chair allows McDonnell to reach in with gloved hands and work on people's hair. 

She said that she would be wearing gloves, a mask, and other PPE while working. 

Read more: Phase 1 of reopening Ireland set to begin a week from today - here’s what can change

McDonnell also said that her salon has been fully sanitized and that she has completed a course on sanitization. She said customers will be asked to sanitize their hands upon entering the salon and that she will personally take each customer's temperature with a laser thermometer before she starts to work. 

Hairdressers and barbers have been closed in Ireland since March 12 and McDonnell explained that there was a number of her clients were desperate to get their hair done. 

She told the Irish Mirror: "Customers were ringing me regularly really anxious on how they were going to manage their hair or keep their grey covered but the calls increased after the exit plan was announced and they discovered they may not get to a hairdressers before July 20." 

For the moment, however, McDonnell's salon will have to remain shuttered but, for the sake of hairdos across the country, we hope that Tony Holohan can allow this to take place. 

Read more: Tánaiste says pubs reopening ahead of schedule in Ireland “a possibility”