Well hasn’t it been a crazy year? I can remember people talking about some sort of virus going around and it was difficult for anyone to have realised that we would go into a full lockdown.
When lockdown was announced in the UK, it was a frenzy for buying rations and the World would never be the same again.
The government set out a plan to help save lives and protect the NHS and one of those ways, was to close down high risk businesses. These unfortunately included those that conduct massage therapy due to the close proximity of client and therapist, as well as the hands on nature of the business.
Due to the success of controlling the virus from spreading on July the 13th the government announced that massage therapy work could resume.
From the above graph you can see that since July the 13th we are almost back to square one or if not worse and that we must be even more careful going forward.
So how to stay safe when visiting a massage therapist?
- Visit establishments that have good ventilation, even opening windows can help with breaking up the concentration of cornovirus.
- Visit therapists that have good hygiene protocol, i.e. cleaning all equipment before and after clients.
- Both wash hands or even better shower at place before and after massage.
Other precautions that are advised include:
- Non-contact temperature checks
- Hairdressers will wear masks
- Disposable gowns and towels
- “Sneeze screens” at the front desks
- Pre-payment before arrival to limit face-to-face interaction at reception
- All food and drink banned
- Magazines removed and waiting areas prohibited
- Conversations to be kept to a minimum
So there you have it guys, time ahead are going to be tough, but stay safe and both to clients and therapists.
Reading list/credits:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:COVID-19_pandemic_data
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/symptoms/#symptoms
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/working-safely-during-coronavirus-covid-19/close-contact-services