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BUSINESSES ACROSS THE country were eagerly awaiting the publication of the government’s roadmap to reopening Ireland last Friday.
For those that closed their doors, they were waiting to see when they could open them again.
While some retailers will begin opening from phase one, due to begin later this month, tattoo artists were dismayed to see that under the government’s plans they wouldn’t reopen until phase five in August at the earliest.
“We were shocked,” Dolores Murray from the Association of Body Modification Artists in Ireland told TheJournal.ie. “We were thinking we’d get back in June. August was like a bolt of lightning.”
The tattoo sector is unregulated in this country, with Health Minister Simon Harris last year ruling out any new law to regulate the tattooing and body piercing industry in Ireland. There have been calls for regulation over the recent years that have failed to gather momentum.
In lieu of long-sought for regulations, the tattoo industry itself has created its own set of standards in terms of hygiene and safety that they feel would see them well placed to return to work a lot sooner during the current Covid-19 crisis.
“We’d keep our doors closed, with people only coming in by appointment only,” Murray said. “There’d be a limited number of people in the studio. The artists would always wear protective clothing anyway. Everything is wiped down and everything is sterilised.
We’ve always done this and we’ve done it ourselves. We’d also take all the precautions that will apply to other retailers.
Customers coming in would be required to wear a mask and also sanitise their hands, with the same applying for the tattoo artist.
The government’s roadmap singles out tattoo parlours under its headings for phase five, which is due to begin on 10 August. Institutions that also require close contact such as barbers and hairdressers are permitted to open three weeks earlier.
It says: “Further loosening of restrictions on services involving direct physical contact for periods of time between people for which there is not a population-wide demand (e.g. tattoo, piercing) for later phases due to risk.”
In the case of hairdressers, it has been reported that they’ve been offered three-to-four times the normal price of a salon haircut but it’s not believed similar situations have arisen in the tattoo industry.
Murray said that only being permitted to open from August at the earliest will present a huge challenge to their industry.
“We’re the same as everyone really,” she said. “We’re negotiating with landlords, talking to the utility companies, we’re trying to be responsible and put measures in place so that we can survive and reopen safely.
With the plans we have we know we’ll have reduced numbers of customers coming in. We’ll have a reduced income but our overheads will be the same. People [in our industry] are very worried about it.
To try to put their case for reopening to the government, individual owners and managers have written to the Department of Health or HSE. Murray said they received either stock responses or no reply.
They’ve started an online petition – which at the time of writing has over 4,000 signatures – calling for what they describe as equality for their industry.
However, at the weekend Health Minister Harris said the government will engage with any business that believes that they might be able to adapt to open in safe environment.
This followed calls from the likes of the vintners for pubs to be permitted to reopen sooner. Other sectors are pushing to reopen sooner than indicated, and tattoo artists are no different.
Given the safeguards she said are in place, Murray sees no reason why they can’t have that same engagement and convince health officials they should reopen sooner.
“We’re united as an industry on this, and this in an industry not known for its cohesiveness usually,” she said. “Any arguments have all been put aside to go for this one item.
Over the years, we’ve been pushed to the bottom of the pile. We just want a chance to put our case forward.
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very moving documentary and very difficult to watch. just goes to show that how a person is treated as a child stays with them all through life.
Nomination for Nobel Peace Prize. I hope Christina and her siblings schedule re-unions a few times each year. They deserve to have the time to be together without the intrusion of media and cameras. It might help them fill the empty space that they hover over at the moment. Each of the four no doubt have their own separate circles of friends. They need now to be afforded the space to reaffirm that special circle of friends called family.
She has such passion for children.she is an inspiration to us all.it was a compelling programme
I read her book nearly two decades ago and it still haunts me. I couldn’t understand how her work in Vietnam wasn’t more well known but maybe her account of her childhood was probably too raw for a lot of people. She’s been a personal inspiration.
Some people when they’re at their happiest (singing) show real pain .
Wonderful to see how television reached the hearts of the Irish people (the word premiere was held in Dublin last September). And don’t miss the film NOBLE when it comes around again. It would be nice now to have Journalists, Senators and Politicians comment on Christina Noble’s story, in the context of what is happening in Geneva right now, as Ireland faces the United Nations condemnation of our serious lapses with Human Rights at home.
After watching the programme I think Christina has mentally suffered from her years in an institution you can see the hatred in her against the government and the church at the time and I think her way to deal with that is to look after those unfortunate children .one part where I thought she was out of order was when she made a verbal attack on what she thought was a priest ,you know a lot o priests were sickened as to what happened to these kids too there are a lot of good priest out there . .One more thing I want to say ,I was also institutionalised in an industrial school for years just for not going to school and was abused also but like Jesus I have learned to forgive but not forget I always say those abusers will have to face judgement some day but overall I feel so sorry for Christina for the way it has affected her
@ joeythelad, i agree with you , i found it difficult to watch as christina’s pain is very evident and of course well founded. i was also surprised with the response she got in the pub , dont why ? what i find surprising is that many people either dont know that she is irish or dont know anything about her work at all!
i hope herself and her family have the time they need to try and bond and she finds some peace. so glad that you have learned to forgive , i am not so sure i could forgive, all the best
What a great woman
Nice house in Texas as well
denise, did you watch the programme? what has her brothers house in texas got to do with it? such an odd comment for this story!
I know,Denise !
What should we do about it ? Genuine question .
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