Hair salons in Maharashtra reopened on Sunday, after remaining closed for over three months due to the coronavirus lockdown after the Maharashtra government had issued a notification to reopen them under its ”Mission Begin Again Phase IV”.
Meanwhile, salon owners were preparing to welcome customers with new SOPs including recording customers” temperatures, providing them with hand sanitisers, using a new towel and haircut seat for each customer, and hairstylists wearing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits like masks and gloves.
According to the government notification, barbershops, salons, and beauty parlours will be allowed to function only with prior appointments. And only selected services such as haircut, dyeing hair, threading, etc, are allowed. Skin-related services will not be permitted at the moment. This should prominently be displayed prominently in all the shops.
The order also said that salons should adhere to standard operating procedures (SOPs) on hygiene and cleanliness, and employees must wear protective gear including gloves, aprons and masks.
Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar said that during the state cabinet meeting held on Thursday, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray agreed to allow salons to reopen with adherence to the SOPs on hygiene and cleanliness.
The salon operators had demanded that they be allowed to do their business or else the government provide them a financial package, the minister said in his video message.
For the second consecutive day, Maharashtra recorded over 5,000 COVID-19 cases taking the state’s tally to 1,59,133. Mumbai recorded 1,400 new cases, taking the city’s count to 74,252.