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Texas woman jailed for keeping hair salon open

The owner of a hair salon in the US state of Texas has been jailed for a week for keeping the premises open, despite COVID-19 restrictions which affected non-essential businesses.

Shelley Luther, who owns Salon à la Mode in Dallas, appeared in court on Tuesday after defying a cease-and-desist letter and a restraining order.

'Selfish'

The woman refused a request from Judge Eric Moyé, who said she could avoid jail if she apologised for being selfish, shut the salon and paid a fine.

“Feeding my kids is not selfish", Ms Luther is quoted as saying.

Customers

She would only have needed to close the business until tomorrow, (Friday), when Texas plans to allow hair salons to reopen.

A Dallas inspector and a police officer told the court they saw customers inside getting haircuts and manicures, according to the Texas Tribune.