Coronavirus
Fresno native behind video of Nancy Pelosi in California salon without mask
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The woman who released video showing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi not wearing a mask while visiting a salon is a Fresno native and works in a salon in town.
Erica Kious works in Sola Salon Studios on Nees near Palm avenues in north Fresno, as well as owns three salons in San Francisco, according to her Instagram account and website, esalonfresno.com.
Kious released exclusive video to Fox News of Pelosi visiting a San Francisco salon even though salons in the city were officially closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited a San Francisco hair salon on Monday afternoon for a wash and blow-out, despite local ordinances keeping salons closed amid the coronavirus pandemic,” Fox News reported.
In the video, Pelosi can be seen walking through the salon with wet hair, a mask hanging under her chin and not covering her mouth or nose.
Salons in San Francisco were only allowed to provide outdoor services beginning Tuesday, but indoor services are still not allowed.
Kious could not be immediately reached on Wednesday. She told Fox News that Pelosi’s blow-dry treatment was a clear violation of local COVID-19 orders.
“It was a slap in the face that she went in, you know, that she feels that she can just go and get her stuff done while no one else can go in, and I can’t work,” Kious told Fox.
“We’re supposed to look up to this woman, right? It is just disturbing,” Kious said.
The stylist who did Pelosi’s hair rents a chair from Kious, who said she “can’t control” what the stylists do. Kious was aware Pelosi would visit after the stylist told her on Sunday, Fox News reported.
Pelosi’s office said that she thought her indoor shampoo treatment and blow-dry was allowed under local rules.
“The speaker always wears a mask and complies with local COVID requirements,” a Pelosi spokesman said in a statement, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. “This business offered for the speaker to come in on Monday and told her they were allowed by the city to have one customer at a time in the business. The speaker complied with the rules as presented to her by this establishment.”
Pelosi said on Wednesday she was the victim of a “set-up” by the salon. She refused to apologize for the apparent violation.
This story has been clarified from an earlier version.
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