How To Tell Clients You May Have Coronavirus

Despite your best efforts to keep yourself and those around you safe, you might face a situation where you test positive for COVID-19. Please know that this is not your fault; we are in a global pandemic. Coronavirus can spread very quickly even when implementing the utmost sanitation and safety precautions. If a positive COVID-19 diagnosis does arise, the most important step to protect our communities is to communicate with your guests or anyone else you have been in contact with as soon as possible.

Remember: you are doing people a great favor by letting them know. You could save lives by doing so. Fostering positive communication will help contain the spread of coronavirus and will encourage any clients who you were in contact with to practice self-containment and minimize further exposure.

If you have been exposed to and/or have tested positive for coronavirus:

If you have not yet tested positive for coronavirus, but know that you were exposed, the first step is to get tested and take the appropriate measures to self-quarantine. If you do test positive, consult your doctor and the local state or county health department. Find out what your county health department's requirements are to ensure that you are getting the right advice on both your state's specific quarantine and return-to-work plan.

• Estimate the date of exposure using information given to you by the person who exposed you. Ask them about when they started to experience symptoms and when they tested positive. If the person who exposed you is one of your clients, use your client records to determine when you had contact with them during the 14 days prior to them getting sick.
• Use contract tracing to compile a list of clients, friends and family that you may have had contact within the days following your exposure. 
• Draft a message using our templates below to share with anyone you may have had close contact with after you were exposed. Let them know that you are being tested and will let them know as soon as you have received your test results. 

Symptoms of coronavirus may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Symptoms include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, throat and muscle aches. 

Even if you do not show symptoms, you may still have coronavirus from exposure and may be able to spread it to other people. That’s why it’s important to get tested if you have had contact with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19. 

Whether you have known exposure to, or have already tested positive for coronavirus, it’s important to proactively communicate with anyone who may be impacted. 

How best to communicate:

• Texting is the fastest way to get the word out. You can utilize technology such as SolaGenius to send a text to all clients you’ve seen since the time period when you were exposed, however, please note that using a technology platform for texting will limit your character count. It might make most sense to send you text messages directly through your phone so you can send a more elaborate message.
• Send an email with more detail. You can utilize SolaGenius to deliver email communications as well. 
• Call those who you think are high-risk (elders, people with chronic illness, healthcare workers).

Text message templates:

• Hi there. After your recent service, I learned I had been exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19. I went to get tested on this date. I will be in touch with you as soon as I have received the results. I am deeply sorry for this concern this may cause you. If you start to display any symptoms of coronavirus, I recommend you contact your health provider. If you’d like to talk about this in more detail, please feel free to give me a call. 
• To my dear guests: After your recent service, I began to experience symptoms of COVID-19. I immediately was tested and the results just came back positive for coronavirus. I apologize deeply for putting you in this position. This has come as a shock to me and it was not my intent to expose you. If you start to display any symptoms of coronavirus, I recommend you get tested as well as contact your doctor. While you await test results, you may want to self-quarantine and let your friends and family know who may have been exposed. Please give me a call if you’d like to talk. 

Email template if you have been exposed: 

To my dear clients,

After your recent service, I learned that I had been exposed to COVID-19. 

I went to get tested on this date. I will be in touch with you as soon as I have received the results. I am deeply sorry for this concern this may cause you. This has come as a shock to me. As you can imagine, it was never my intent to put your health, or any of my clients health, at any risk. 

​If you start to display any symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste and smell, or throat and muscle aches, I recommend you get tested as well. While you await test results, you may want to self-quarantine and let your friends and family know who may have been exposed. 

If there's anything I can do to support you, please let me know. Feel free to give me a call if you’d like to talk. I am beyond grateful for your support and understanding. 

Email template if you have tested positive: 

To my dear clients,

After your recent service, I began to experience symptoms of COVID-19. I went to get tested on this date and have just learned that my test came back positive for coronavirus. Because we were in close contact, I recommend that you consult your doctor and the local state or county health department.

I am deeply sorry for this concern this may cause you. This has come as a shock to me. As you can imagine, it was never my intent to put your health, or any of my clients’ health, at any risk. 

​If you start to display any symptoms of coronavirus, which include fever, cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste and smell, or throat and muscle aches, I recommend you get tested as well. While you await test results, you may want to self-quarantine and let your friends and family know who may have been exposed. 

If there's anything I can do to support you, please let me know or feel free to give me a call if you’d like to talk.  

Prepare for any reaction:

It’s hard to know how your guests will react, and you may experience a range of emotional responses to your message. Remember to give yourself grace - this is not your fault. Your clients may have questions for you about their potential risks. Be willing to speak with them and comfort them in their own anxiety; do not take their reaction personally. 

In the meantime, we have compiled a few other resources to help you during this time:

• Sanitation Best Practices Blog
• Communicating With Your Clients: Post COVID-19 Blog
• Coronavirus Communications With Your Clientele Blog
• Tips For Rebooking Clients Blog
• Corona Control Blog
• Adjusting To a New Normal: Life After Reopening Her Salon Podcast
• Surviving COVID Quarantine + Prepping For The Comeback Podcast

In closing…

The most important thing right now is that you take care of yourself physically, emotionally and mentally. Give yourself grace if you have been exposed to or test positive for coronavirus. And remember, at Sola, we will support you through this difficult time no matter what.