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California Gives Go-Ahead For Nail Salons To Reopen; Will LA County Join Them?

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - Nail salons are now permitted to open across California, even in counties that are in the most restrictive tier of the state's economic reopening roadmap, officials announced Tuesday.

State health secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly says individual counties, however, would have the final say over reopening operations.

Nail salons were ordered to close in mid-March. After briefly reopening in June, they were ordered to close again on July 13.  Since then, the nail salon industry repeatedly petitioned the governor for permission to reopen, arguing that it maintains the highest health and safety standards.

RELATED: LA County Business Owners Frustrated About Reopening Limitations As Other Counties Ease Restrictions

On July 20, Newsom gave permission for nail salons, hair salons and barbershops to move some of their services outdoors. However, the scorching hot temperatures and the limited range of services which can be offered outdoors posed a financial and operational challenge to businesses.

In a statement issued Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles County said officials "will be consulting with the Board of Supervisors to determine the timing" of allowing nail salons to resume under modified indoor operations following the state's announcement.

County health officials, though, have previously said it's unlikely they'll ease any more business restrictions until at least the end of September to ensure the county does not experience a post-Labor Day spike in cases.

Los Angeles, San Bernardino and Ventura counties are currently only allowing nail salons to operate outdoors. Orange and Riverside Counties are allowing nail salons to operate indoors with 25% capacity.

"We've lost clients, we've lost employees, we've lost a lot, we've lost income," Christine Nguyen, a Tustin salon owner, said. "The burden is extremely terrifying, and we just hope to survive."

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