In an interview with ABC7's sister station KGO-TV on Wednesday, Assemblymember Chiu elaborated on a letter he and colleagues sent to the governor earlier this month addressing the impact COVID-19 has had on the nail salon community.
Assemblymember Chiu says the nail salon workforce is predominantly made up of Asian immigrant women, nearly 70% of which are of Vietnamese descent.
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"The recent disclosure that community spread of COVID-19 started at a nail salon resulted in fear and anxiety among nail salon owners and workers who were concerned about the potential impact this would have on their livelihoods as well as on their personal safety as anti-Asian hate incidents have persisted," said Chiu.
The lawmaker says he's thankful the governor has agreed to work with the Asian Pacific Islander Legislative Caucus on this issue and hopes they can come up with clear and safe guidelines soon.
And while nail salons wait for those guidelines to be released some are taking a proactive approach.
In the northern California city of Sonoma, one salon is already preparing for when they can resume business. So far, Indulgence Nails Day Spa has spent $5,000 in infrastructure changes.
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