Don’t cut us off, we are going broke, plead barbers

 

Barbers said the fact that no clusters had originated from those in the profession showed they had been abiding by the rules strictly.

KUALA LUMPUR: When the economy revived during the recovery movement control order (RMCO) last year, barber shops, hairdressing salons and beauty parlours were among the last sectors to be given the green light to resume their business.

This was because it was difficult to comply with the physical distancing rule stipulated by the health ministry as their work involves physical contact with people and thus increased the risk of Covid-19 infection.

Ironically, the haircare and beauty sector that contributed RM13.5 billion a year to the nation’s gross domestic product did not create any new Covid-19 clusters after business resumed from June 10.

Just when business was picking up, history unfortunately repeated itself and the 16,728 registered hair salon businesses in the country, employing some 74,500 workers, had to close shop again following the implementation of MCO 2.0 on Jan 13.

Gabungan Pendandan Rambut Malaysia representative Bambang Sutrisno Soteto said about 5,800 barber shops and hairdressing salons have closed down since the enforcement of the first MCO last year.

Worried that many more will be forced to shut down, the association has appealed to the international trade and industry ministry (Miti) to allow their members to operate again.

“Previously, we proved that we complied with the conditions set by the authorities as no clusters emerged from this sector. We are confident that we can do the same this time,” he said.

Among the rules set by the government for those providing such services were that staff must be equipped with face shields, masks and personal protective equipment, physical distance between customers must be at least two metres and the number of customers allowed in the premises must be limited, according to the floor area.

Meanwhile, Malaysian Spas Association (Amspa) president Jeanette Tembakau is also feeling anxious that the spa industry will come to an end if they are not given the permission to operate.

To date, she estimated 60 spas have closed down as they could not afford the operating cost, with business hitting an all-time low.

“We give emphasis on cleanliness and SOP (standard operating procedure) compliance while working. We only allow two customers in one room and the beds are placed far from one another.

“We also make sure that the spa therapists go through the online SOP training,” she said.

She added that spa services can be regarded as an essential service since its function is related to health, especially effective therapy to reduce stress.

“Nowadays, people are under a lot of stress, especially when they are trapped at home and told to work from home. Less movement causes low energy and fatigue,” she said, adding there are 400 registered members under Amspa. - FMT