Hairdressing guild against reopening during MCO

Citing concerns over Covid-19 exposure, the Malaysian Hairdressing Association (MHA) has urged the government to reconsider its plan to allow hair salons to operate during the movement control order (MCO) period.

“It is impossible to maintain a distance of one metre during haircutting. Both the customer and hairdresser are in a state of being easily infected by the virus.

“Haircuts should not (be) listed as a necessary essential service, no matter long hair or short hair, the most important thing, for now, is to stay alive.

“The purpose of the MCO is to save people’s lives, not their appearance,” MHA said in a statement this evening.

In a survey of its members, the association said 91 percent of respondents disagreed that salons should resume operations.

“MHA, on behalf of a majority of Malaysian hairdressers [...] opposes the operation (of salons) during the MCO and calls on the government to reconsider the health and safety of the people and revoke the permit for hair salons to resume business during this critical period,” it said.

 Following Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin’s announcement that the MCO was extended to April 28, the International Trade and Industry Ministry (Miti) published a list of sectors that will be allowed to apply to re-open under strict health and movement control guidelines.

Most businesses have stopped operating since the country went under MCO on March 18. While this has helped curb the virus from spreading, it has also taken a toll on the economy.

Aside from the MHA, the Selangor and Federal Territories Indian Hairstylists Association also disagrees with including their industry as part of Miti’s list of sectors exempted.

The Negri Sembilan government and PKR Youth chief Akmal Nasrullah Mohd Nasir similarly oppose the idea.

Meanwhile, Health Ministry director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah has advised the government to postpone its plan to allow hair salons to operate by two weeks. - Mkini