The organisation welcomed the update, but urged that more clarity was needed.

Hairdressers in Ireland have welcomed the news that salons may be able to open in May, as the country enters the next few stages of reopening. The news came yesterday as Taoiseach Micheál Martin gave a Covid-19 lockdown update. A statement from the Irish Hairdressers Foundation said that while the group welcomes the update, they still seek greater clarity. In a statement released yesterday, the group said: "The Irish Hairdressers Federation has today (Tuesday 30^th March) welcomed the announcement by Government that the sector could be allowed to reopen in May but asked for further clarity on the dates involved in order to move forward." The organisation's president Danielle Kennedy said that hairdressers are "disappointed" that the government did not provide a firm commitment with regards to reopening: "We would like to thank the Government for listening to our appeal to be allowed to reopen in May, but we would greatly welcome more clarity which salon owners across the country urgently require.’’ She added: "Our focus will now be on preparing to reopen safely and responsibly." Kennedy said that the group has "extensive health and safety guidelines in place". She added that they "look forward to working with the Government" as they reopen. The statement comes following a long campaign from the IHF to allow hairdressers to reopen in a safe manner. Last week, the group asked the government to consider allowing them to reopen at Level 4 with updated guidelines. They underlined their ability to operate safely and in correspondence with Covid-19 hygiene measures. "We have extensively reviewed and updated our health and safety guidelines," Kennedy said previously. "We are continuing to review and refresh our guidelines as new information becomes available." The IHF currently represents 500 salon owners across the country.