Penang – in Phase Two and off to the barber

 

Elyas Yunos of Son and Dad Barber says it was a full house today with basic haircuts allowed at last.

GEORGE TOWN: Penang’s first day of transition into Phase Two saw people taking cautious steps out of their homes – and straight to the hairdressers and car washes.

The operators of hair salons, barbershops and car wash said they were happy to be back in business, but they did see some sluggishness, as it was a state holiday for the 13th anniversary of George Town’s World Heritage status.

The traffic in George Town was relatively lighter than usual, but there were more people appearing to travel within their neighbourhoods, such as Air Itam and Perak Road, to get items.

However, traffic at the arterial Green Lane was heavier than usual, with many at a drive-through fast-food restaurant.

Barbershop operator Elyas Yunos said the bookings started flooding his WhatsApp line, with over 100 appointments in a day, forcing him to turn away walk-in customers.

A Son and Dad Barber worker spraying disinfectant onto the chair before seating another customer.

He said this was because only four of seven of his barbers could come to work, with the three others being out of state and not able to come back on short notice.

Elyas said the June lockdown had cost him over RM30,000 in losses, but he still paid all his staff their basic salaries ranging from RM1,200 to RM1,500.

He said the RM600 salary subsidy provided by the Social Security Organisation was immensely helpful in keeping his business afloat.

“But if the lockdown had been extended further, I think I would have lost my business completely,” the owner of the Son and Dad Barber at Acheen Street told FMT.

With his shop’s strategic location close to tourist attractions, half of his clientele used to be out-of-towners.

Last year, after the first MCO was lifted, Elyas’ was one of the few barbershops that were praised to have followed health SOPs to a T. All haircutting tools are soaked in barbicide and workers wear masks and protective gear.

Today, all staff were wearing cloth and surgical masks and patrons were encouraged to leave their masks on while having their haircut.

S Tamilarasan, who runs a barbershop at Jalan Paya Terubong said he has had five customers today but expects more during the weekend.

A security guard, who wanted to be known as Azmi, said he was happy to finally have a haircut. “I miss my barber. I have not had my haircut for more than a month ,” said the man in his 50s.

Jack Foo of Sparrow Car Wash at Kampung Baharu, Air Itam.

At Air Itam, Jack Foo’s car wash centre at Kampung Baharu has had “not many” customers come in. Before the recent MCO, he had over 50 cars in a day, but today, there were barely 30.

He said he has lost over RM30,000 in a span of one month from three car wash outlets he operates, as he had to pay rents as high as RM5,000.

“I am happy to be back in business. I think there were not many cars today because of the public holiday.

“Let us stop people from other states from coming in, so we can go to the third phase quickly,” Foo said.

Penang was allowed to move into the second phase, as its average weekly infections have dropped below the threshold set by the government. Its ICU bed take-up is at moderate levels while 10% of the target population has been vaccinated.

Besides car wash and basic haircuts, other economic activities allowed to reopen in the current second phase are: automotive (vehicles and parts), ceramic factories, furniture factories for export purposes, rubber, steel and cement.

Trade and distribution, bookshops and stationery shops, computer and telecommunications, and electrical goods are also allowed to open for business.

However, those wanting to dine-in at the food paradise will have to wait until the next phase.

The state joins Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang, Perak and Perlis into the second phase of the national recovery plan. - FMT