The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

Our industry is completely at a standstill. We still do not have a system to file unemployment so that leaves people to survive on savings and it’s dwindling fast. Please help. Sign

The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

It is important to help essential workers, especially those with very physical jobs, continue to work for their communities. These workers are very susceptible to repetitive stress injury. Massage therapists are considered healthcare workers and therapy is essential to many people for their health and well-being.

The survival of the independent beauty professionals is at risk. We are facing a grave financial hardship.

President Trump has halted US funding of the World Health Organization (WHO) as he blames them for the spread of COVID-19. As cases top 2 million and deaths are climbing, now is not the time to pull funding from this organization that serves citizens all over the globe. There will be time after we have a handle on this crisis, to review the WHO's performance and make corrections for the future. In the meantime, the President, by pulling funds, is endangering our lives and those of our global community.

Independent Beauty Professionals rely on income from clients. We cannot perform salon services online. While the Beauty Industry is deemed “non essential”, the ability to practice our craft is very essential to our livelihood. We are facing grave financial hardship. Our services are also essential to our clients’ mental and emotional health as a form of self care. Salon professionals, this is a great resource for health/safety tips once allowed to reopen: salontoday.com/623817/reopening-how-to-move-forward-safely

Labeling Salons workers as “non essential” and forcibly closing salons has created financial hardship on many individuals, whom many are self employed and not eligible for current Unemployment Benefits.

For the past two months, North Carolina officials have been quickly mobilizing to protect the general public from the spread of coronavirus. Local businesses have been shut down, court proceedings have been suspended for 30 days and public schools will be closed until early May. More recently, Governor Roy Cooper issued a stay-at-home order to prevent human suffering and the loss of life. However, missing in all of these announcements is a plan that will protect one of the most vulnerable populations in North Carolina - North Carolinians locked away in county jails and state prisons. All available public health guidelines recommend social distancing and vigilant hygiene as the primary tools to combat the spread of COVID-19. However, these directives are impossible to follow with thousands of people currently housed inside county jails and state prisons. Oftentimes, these facilities are closed and unsanitary environments that present the highest risk of illness from COVID-19. By their very nature, prisons preclude appropriate prevention measures. Public officials have DAYS, not weeks, to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Releasing as many people as possible from cages and stopping the flow of people into them is the best way to do it.