CAN’T AZMIN’S WIFE CUT HIS HAIR FOR HIM – THE OLD-FASHIONED WAY! MUST DPM-WANNABE HAVE HIS HAIR CUT ONLY BY MALE BARBERS – EVEN DURING MCO?

On the one hand, there is the struggle of business owners needing to resume work. On the other hand, there is the concern that that they cannot work safely.

IS it safe to get a haircut from a barber during this time of Covid-19?

In a series of tweets on April 11, Seberang Jaya assemblyman Dr Afif Bahardin raised that question.

Many zoomed in on his third tweet. It stated that medical research published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that a haircut can lower one’s blood pressure.

They roasted him for supporting the government’s decision to allow barbershops and hair salons to open for basic haircutting services during the third phase of the movement control order (MCO).

Despite the brickbats, Dr Afif, a medical doctor who recently resigned as Penang Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry, Rural Development and Health Committee chairman, feels that he got his message across: That we need to start thinking of the new normal after the MCO is lifted.

“I’ve got their attention. People are now talking about it. I’m OK if people want to take one segment of my tweets and undermine the whole issue that I’m trying to raise, ” he said in a telephone conversation.

If his critics read his Twitter thread, they’ll understand that Dr Afif intended to highlight the plight of barbers and hairdressers who are among those who cannot earn a living during the MCO period.

Politics might have played into the public’s sentiments against the Seberang Jaya assemblyman as he a strong supporter of International Trade and Industries Minister Datuk Seri Azmin Ali, who is perceived as one of the masterminds behind the collapse of the Pakatan Harapan government. Azmin had announced on April 10 that the government would allow more businesses such as optometry, manned laundrettes and hair salons to open during the MCO period that has been extended to April 28.

After a public uproar about the impossibility of maintaining social distancing while cutting hair, the government rescinded the decision to allow barbershops and hair salons to operate.

It was a missed opportunity, according to Dr Afif, for the government to use barbershops and hair salons as a test case to see how businesses adapt to the new normal post-MCO period. The government could introduce new SOPs (standard operating procedures), he said.

For example, require temperature checks before allowing customers to enter the premises, disinfecting implements and sterilising their hands before and after attending to each customer.

“If you compare a barber to a doctor who is seeing a patient in the clinic for hypertension, do they wear PPE (personal protection equipment)? They do not. The doctor wears gloves and a face mask, and after seeing a patient, they use hand sanitiser. This practice can be implemented among the barbers, ” he said.

Malaysia needs a new SOP for barbershops and other businesses that will open after the MCO is lifted, according to Dr Afif, as the reality is, Covid-19 will not go away.

The assemblyman understands the fear and misunderstanding that his tweets have raised. However, he said that we must look into economic activities at the grassroots level.

“It is not about me wanting to get a haircut. Sooner or later, people will start asking when am I going to be able to go to work? When am I going to be able to restart my business? I need to earn money to put food on my table. I need to feed my kids.

“These are the real issues that we have to face during this Covid-19 period, ” he said.

I contacted Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii on WhatsApp to get his point of view on the issue.

Dr Yii, who is a medical doctor who has recovered from Covid-19, disagreed with the government’s decision, as it would put barbers and hairdressers at risk of exposure to the virus due to the close contact nature of their job.

The Federal government’s decision was not adequately thought through, he said, and they did not analyse the impact of it, especially on the safety of barbers and their clients.

“The possible risk of spreading infection between barbers or hairstylists and their customers is quite high as they would be in close proximity with one another. Adding to that is the fact that they would be in the same enclosed space for an extended time, usually with limited ventilation, ” he said.

“And there are the tools, the scissors and blades used by the barbers. The virus can live on such items for hours, so to take the necessary precautions, the tools may require sterilisation after every client. This may not be practical or economically viable unless a pragmatic alternative is introduced.”

While Dr Yii understands the financial struggle of such business owners, the MP believes that all of them also want to work without fear or the risk of being infected.

“During this outbreak, we all have to make some sacrifices, and I believe it is always better to lean on the side of caution for long-term safety, ” he said.

The new normal post-MCO period might be the old normal when those of us who lived in the 1970s had our parents or spouses or friends cut our hair.

ANN