Across the world, lockdown measures are continuing to help flatten the curve and keep the number of deaths from coronavirus as low as possible – for the most part, anyway. That is seemingly with the exception of the US, which saw a weekend of public gatherings, sunbathing, and protests. 

In California, the Beverly Hills City Council has continued relaxing measures, announcing that elective and cosmetic surgery procedures would be able to resume again – despite the fact that the city has the fourth most infections in the whole county of Los Angeles, which has had the most infections and deaths in the state of California. That’s right, people can still get botox in the middle of a worldwide pandemic. 

“People need these procedures because it helps them feel better and feeling better is very important right now when we’re taking such a psychological impact of being stuck at home or losing our jobs,” plastic surgeon Dr Arash Moradzadeh told Jezebel. The decision was not supported by all though, with Councilman John Mirisch being the only person to vote against it. “This is having unintended consequences,” he said. “No one needs Botox in a pandemic.”

Unsurprisingly, Mirisch has had many get in touch concerned about the reopening of clinics. But, for Dr Moradzadeh, business resumed as normal on Friday, with a backlog of 40 procedures – including a rhinoplasty (nose job) – according to the New York Times. According to the surgeon, patients visiting him will be tested three days prior and then asked to self-isolate for a week afterwards, visiting him in an outpatient centre rather than his pratice.