At a government school in Poonamallee, S. Abhiraaj (27), a migrant worker from Bihar, is parked on a wooden chair, and waits for the snips of the scissors.
A small space at the government school has been turned into a makeshift saloon, and Abhiraaj is about to have a haircut. There is bound to be uncomfortable questions about how social distancing can be maintained in a hairdressing scenario.
A basic summer haircut, with the hair cropped short to the scalp, is what Abhiraj and other men are going to get, so that the question of giving them another haircut doesn’t arise for the next few months.
The hairdresser is said to maintain as much distance as they can realistically maintain, while executing a haircut. Of course, the hairdresser wears a mask.
The government school is one of the half a dozen public buildings including community centres and marriage halls that has been converted into relief centres by the Poonamallee municipality to provide accommodation for around 1,700 migrant workers, 60 families from the gypsy community and around 600 homeless persons in the neighbourhood since the lock down last month, says municipal engineer V. Muthukumar.
Every day, more than three tons of food is being prepared at the Amma canteens in the neighbourhood to provide food for the migrants and others twice a day. On an average, four persons are allowed to stay in each room in the public buildings, so that sufficient social distancing is maintained, say Municipality sources. Free face masks and hand sanitizers are also given to the migrant workers. Regular medical check-ups are also being done for the workers by the local body.
Most of these workers used to stay at rented houses in Sundar Nagar, Parivakkam, Nanbargal Nagar, Lakshmipuram and Amma Nagar within the limits of Poonamallee.