The mayor of Flagstaff has ordered the closure of all salons in Flagstaff, effective 8 p.m. Thursday.

Flagstaff Mayor Coral Evans has ordered the closure of all nail salons, hair salons, beauty salons and similar businesses in the city in response to the coronavirus pandemic, a new addition to her proclamation that restricted restaurants and closed gathering places on March 16.

The proclamation appears to go against an executive order Gov. Doug Ducey issued Monday defining "essential" businesses that would remain open if he further limits Arizonans' movement, including "personal hygiene services."

Many interpreted that to include hair salons, beauty salons and nail salons.

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego put out a video on Twitter on Thursday mentioning "salon beauty services" as one of the businesses deemed essential.

"That business list includes salon beauty services as well as city services such as our golf courses. I hope and have urged the governor to consider a much smaller list of businesses that would be essential in the face of a pandemic," she said in the video.

Ducey's spokespeople did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Flagstaff is first city to close salons

Flagstaff is the first city in the state to order the closure of salonsafter his order.

The town of Marana near Tucson had previously closed salons but lifted the restriction Wednesday to comply with Ducey's order.

Evans, who is already under close scrutiny from Republicans as she runs for state House, also was the first in the state to restrict restaurants and close bars in her city. A cascade of cities and towns followed her move.

State Sen. Vince Leach, R-Saddlebrook, called the move to close salons illegal and suggested the city was overreaching its authority. Leach said he was prepared to ask the attorney general to intervene under what is known as S.B. 1487. That would put local funding on the line.

"We're in the middle of an unprecedented crisis. It's important the state speak with one voice," Leach said in a statement.

The addition to the proclamation also extends the closures beyond the original end date of April 1 "until further notice."

Salon owner in Phoenix: Close our salons now

D'Lisa Shayn Khademi, who has owned Salon D'Shayn in downtown Phoenix for the past 12 years, said that salons being deemed "essential business" is ridiculous. She said she feels that keeping a business open where people have to be closer than six feet apart is endangering lives.

"You're you're not protecting us. You're not protecting our clients. You're not protecting our clients' families, our staff families," Khademi said.

Salon D'Shayn has been closed for almost two weeks because Khademi doesn't believe that any amount of money is worth more than people's safety.

Khademi said that Ducey has not only confused members of the beauty industry by telling them they are "essential," but put more people at risk by deeming them so.

"There's not one person in the world that deserves to die because someone got their" hair done, Khademi said.

Reach the reporter James Carr at James.Carr@arizonarepublic.com or on Twitter @JamestheCarr