A Ripon woman has said she is being discriminated against after a hair salon turned her away even though she has a face mask exemption.
Jan Spence, 58, has chronic asthma and anxiety so she wears a lanyard around her neck to let other people know why she does not wear a face mask.
Ms Spence recently visited Moo Hair in Harrogate to use a voucher she bought before lockdown. However, when she arrived the hairdresser she was booked to see refused to let her in.
It is something Ms Spence has not experienced before and she told the Stray Ferret she did not want to experience it again so she decided to speak out to raise awareness. She said:
“I felt really degraded, I cannot help having a health condition. It can be quite debilitating at times.
“So it was upsetting when I was turned away. I have had both coronavirus jabs and I had a negative lateral flow test in the morning so what else can I do?”
When Ms Spence approached Groupon, which she bought the voucher through, the customer services team gave her credit to spend on something else.
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Caroline Allen, who owns the salon on Cheltenham Mount, operates a policy that everyone has to wear a face mask to be allowed inside.
Ms Allen told the Stray Ferret her rule was designed to keep staff and clients safe:
“We are all learning here. We have never lived through anything like this before. I go by the rules set out by the central body for hairdressers and barbers.
“I have to protect everybody in the salon, we get some very vulnerable clients in here so we all wear face masks.
“It can put me in a very difficult position but it is one I am going to stick by. I am sorry that Jan is so upset.”
