We’re answering your questions about the pandemic. Send yours to COVID@cbc.ca and we’ll answer as many as we can. We’ll publish a selection of answers every weekday online and also put some questions to the experts during The National and on CBC News Network
We’re breaking down what you need to know about the pandemic. Send us your questions via email at COVID@cbc.ca and we’ll answer as many as we can. We’ll publish a selection of answers every weekday on our website, and we’re also putting some of your questions to the experts on the air during The National and on CBC News Network. So far we’ve received more than 47,000 emails from all corners of the country.
Should I stay away from the nail salon?
After months of quarantine haircuts and DIY manicures, many Canadians are keen to take advantage of reopening hair salons, barbershops and nail salons. But in light of an outbreak in a nail salon in Kingston, Ont., we’re hearing from a number of people who are wondering how safe it is to get a manicure.
Nail salons have been given the green light to reopen in many parts of the country, so long as they abide by strict local health guidelines to keep clients and workers safe. But Kathleen Y. wants to know if that means nail salons are OK for at-risk customers or should they stay away for now.
First, it’s important to note that if you have a health condition or compromised immune system, it is best to talk to your doctor about what would be appropriate for you.
But even if you’re not considered more vulnerable, experts say there are risks whenever you leave your house during a pandemic.
“Nothing is perfectly safe,” said Dr. Dominik Mertz, an associate professor at McMaster University in Hamilton and an infectious diseases physician and hospital epidemiologist at Hamilton Health Sciences.
“We all have to make our decisions based on what we require for our health and what level of risk we are willing to take.”
For nail salons specifically, Mertz said they’re not typically well ventilated and are indoor spaces that require close contact with others for a prolonged period of time — all of which are “risk factors of potential transmission.”
He said getting your nails done is probably “higher risk than low risk, and that should be considered.”
