A hairstylist served 84 clients while symptomatic with COVID-19, Missouri health officials say

• A hairstylist at a Missouri Great Clips salon exposed at least 91 people to the novel coronavirus after showing up to work while symptomatic.
• Springfield health officials said they had identified an eight-day period in which the stylist worked and visited several local stores.
• Officials are offering testing for those who might have been "directly exposed," though the stylist, clients, and coworkers all wore masks during the appointments.

A hairstylist in Springfield, Missouri exposed at least 91 people to the novel coronavirus over an eight-day period, health officials said Friday.

Springfield-Greene County Health Department director Clay Goddard said at a press conference that a Great Clips stylist worked on eight days between May 12 and May 20, during which the stylist came into contact with 84 clients and seven coworkers while showing symptoms.

Officials are offering testing for those who were "directly exposed" to the hairstylist, though the stylist, clients, and coworkers all wore masks during the appointments. The stylist also stopped at stores like Dairy Queen, Walmart, and a fitness center, but Goddard said those who were at those locations are still at a "low risk" for infection.

"We are hopeful that their strictly-enforced policy of masking will prevent any future spread from this case," Goddard said Friday. "They also kept detailed records that have made contact tracing a speedy process."

Great Clips franchise owners told Missouri's KY3 in a statement that the salon where the stylist worked has since been closed while it undergoes "additional sanitizing and deep cleaning" in accordance with recommendations from the local health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

"The well-being of Great Clips customers and stylists in the salon is our top priority and proper sanitization has always been an important cosmetology industry practice for Great Clips salons," the statement said, according to the outlet.

Goddard said in the press conference that though the incident will likely not affect the community's reopening plans as a whole, he urged individual responsibility as businesses open throughout the month.

"We can't have many more of these," Goddard said. "We can't make this a regular habit or our capability as a community will be strained and we will have to re-evaluate what things look like going forward. Each of us owns just how this will go forward in our community."

Missouri is one of more than half of US states where hair salons are among the businesses allowed to open in the early phases of reopening after coronavirus lockdowns. Salons and barbershops were first allowed to reopen in Missouri on businesses to reopen on May 4.