Let's get virtual: adapting to the current climate

The year is quickly ticking by and we find ourselves in May already, but still in lockdown due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The current situation is affecting everyone from all corners of the globe and is having a substantial effect on all markets—not least the aesthetics industry. Clinics are closed and business is coming to a halt… Or is it?

Many aesthetic nurses are returning to the NHS frontline to help with the crisis, while getting creative with promoting clinics, particularly through social media platforms such as Instagram.

Following the Government's announcement that they would be launching the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, as of 22 April 2020, approximately seven out of 10 companies across the UK have furloughed staff (Inman, 2020). This ensures that staff are still paid at least 80% of their wage, while avoiding redundancies where possible, and, as of 20 April 2020, over 140 000 companies applied for the scheme (Inman, 2020). Nevertheless, the number of people in the UK applying for Universal Credit has increased, with nearly 1 million applying from 16 March 2020 to 2 April 2020 (ITV News, 2020). To answer any questions that aesthetic clinic owners may have, Andrew Rayment's article on the Job Retention Scheme is on page 175, while aesthetic business specialist, Pam Underdown, details the common queries she has received from practitioners on page 172.