By Patrick O'Brien, JD, legal coordinator, American Med Spa Association

Arizona has begun the phased processes of re-opening businesses starting this week. An executive order issued on Monday, May 4, by Governor Doug Ducey (available here), allowed many retail businesses to resume operations that day. Barbers and cosmetologists will be able to resume operations starting on Friday, May 8, provided they implement a number of safety measures. They will need to:

1. Provide face coverings to both employees and customers;
2. Operate by appointment only; and
3. Follow protocols as directed by the CDC, OSHA and Arizona's Department of Health Services.

For medical spas that may offer cosmetology services alongside medical procedures, there is an additional level of restriction. There is a general prohibition on elective medical procedures that is currently in effect. In an April 22 executive order, this restriction was relaxed slightly by providing a path to get a waiver. Medical offices that want to perform elective procedures will need to apply for the waiver from the Department of Health Services. This FAQ from the department provides additional information on the process and a link to the application.

Getting the green light from the governor to re-open is just the first step to planning your medical spa's re-opening. We discuss a number of other issues you will want to consider in our Re-opening Toolkit for Medical Spas podcast, available here. AmSpa has also provided a Re-opening Checklist and Toolkit for Medical Spas that you may find helpful. AmSpa will endeavor to bring you the most up to date information as states begin to re-open.