Are massage parlours open in Tier 3?

Massage parlours were closed for the bulk of this year given the high risk they pose to the spread of Covid-19. The required close proximity involved with massage services means personal care services have been shut for much of 2020. Massage parlours and spas were closed during the second coronavirus lockdown in England, but now are subject to tier rules. So can massage parlours open in Tier 3?

Businesses across England are now operating according to the tier rules of their location.

Under the new tougher tier restrictions, more than 55 million people in England were placed in the two highest tiers under the new rules on Wednesday, December 2.

The motion was debated at the House of Commons this week and passed with 291 MPs supporting the new measures.

From 12.01am on December 2, 42 percent of the English population were placed in Tier 3 areas.

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Are massage parlours open in Tier 3?

Under the Government guidance for Tier 3 rules, personal care and close contact services can open.

The guidance reads: “Personal care and close contact services such as hairdressers and barbers, beauty salons, tattoo parlours, nail salons, spas and beauty services, saunas, steam rooms, massage parlours and tanning salons can remain open.”

This means under Tier 3 rules, massage parlours are entitled to reopen so long as they adhere to covid-secure guidance.

The above guidance also applies to businesses which operate in different locations, such as massage therapists working in people’s homes.

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Which areas are now in Tier 3?

Tier 3 areas now include:

East Midlands

• Derby and Derbyshire
• Leicester and Leicestershire
• Lincolnshire
• Nottingham and Nottinghamshire

North East

• North East Combined Authority: County Durham, Gateshead, South Tyneside and Sunderland
• North of Tyne Combined Authority: Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside and Northumberland
• Tees Valley Combined Authority: Darlington, Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Redcar and Cleveland and Stockton-on-Tees

North West

• Blackburn with Darwen
• Blackpool
• Greater Manchester
• Lancashire

South East

• Kent and Medway
• Slough (remainder of Berkshire is tier 2: High alert)

South West