Salons reopen in rural areas with precautions

Coimbatore: Salons in the rural areas of the district reopened on Tuesday after a gap of 54 days.
While the central government extended the nation-wide lockdown till May 31, the state government announced several relaxations including reopening of salons in rural areas by issuing specific guidelines.
Hairdressers and customers were asked to wear masks and maintain social distancing. The building should be cleaned with disinfectant regularly.
Mani Ranganathan, a hairdresser at TT Palayam said he was expecting at least 60% of customers to visit the salon after it reopened. “But only half of them visited us on the first day. As the salons remained close for nearly two months, most of our customers cut their hair on their own or with the help of family members. It will take us another month to resume our business,” he said.
Due to lack of revenue, the hairdressers have been struggling to meet their expenses. They managed to survive the lockdown with the help of volunteers, who distributed grocery items and vegetables.
Representatives of hairdressers in the district had submitted a petition to collector K Rajamani and municipal administration minister SP Velumani, urging them to take steps to reopen the shops in town panchayats and corporation limits.