KUCHING: The public breathed a sigh of relief when the federal government reversed its decision to allow barber shops and related business and optical shops to operate during the movement control order (MCO) period.
Acting on that last Monday, the State Disaster Management Committee decided to enforce the ruling on barbershops and hair salons in Sarawak.
Its deputy chairman, Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, said this decision concurred with the sentiments of the majority of Sarawakians who did not agree with opening barbershops during the MCO.
“On other economic sectors and depending on the needs of the people, the committee is still discussing which sectors could operate during the MCO period,” he said in a press conference on the Covid-19 daily update at Wisma Bapa Malaysia.
New Sarawak Tribune reached out to several individuals and they agreed that barber shops and hair salons should remain closed until after the pandemic is over.
Syahmina Shaiful, 25
‘Barber shops and hair salons don’t provide daily necessities. Life can go on without them as long as the Covid-19 crisis persists.’
Amanda Nantie, 24 (operations executive)
‘Allowing these types of shops to operate might increase the number of Covid-19 cases as people would not be able to practise social distancing.’
Neysa Beatrice, 24 (self-employed)
‘Physical contact between clients and shop workers would expose them to infection, and they would go on to infect other people.’
Hazirah Abu Bakar, 24
‘Barber shops are not necessary for survival. They cannot keep the public safe. As for optical shops some people need to fix their glasses, get their eyes checked (for safety reason) and so on.’
Mohd Nazirul Haziq, 24 (broadcast journalist)
‘A hair cut or hairdo is not a need. We can live quite well without it for a long time. The shops would gain some revenue but what about the risk?’
Wan Zul Annuar Wan Zainal, 24 (research assistant)
‘The shops won’t be able to enforce the one-metre social distancing requirement. It’s hard to tell who are infected and who are not because some people show no symptoms at all.’
