Lockdown trims the income of saloon, parlour workers

Barbers and beauty parlour owners in Dakshina Kannada district are badly hit by the lockdown. There are over 3,000 men’s saloons in the district with nearly 1,500 in Mangaluru taluk alone.

Since the announcement of the lockdown on March 24, all saloons have been closed in the district.

Mangaluru City Corporation (MCC) had ordered the closure of all the saloons and beauty parlours under in its limits since March 21.

Savita Samaja office-bearers said that many barbers had been finding it difficult to make ends meet and had urged the government to relax the rules in order to provide relief to hairdressers.

“Since the lockdown barbers have been flooded with irresistible offers to go underground and offer services to customers at their houses. As it is sheer violation of guidelines, we have not entertained such offers from customers,” DK Jilla Savitha Samaja General Secretary Vasanth Bellur told DH.

He admitted that there were cases of violation by a few Hindi-speaking barbers who were catering to the needs of customers illegally.

“We have created awareness among members on how the close proximity with customers during hair cutting or shaving increases the risk of viral infection,” a barber said.

Labour department had supplied a few gloves, masks, sanitisers and soaps to the association and had promised to supply a few more, he said.

Barbers had promised to sanitise equipment using sterilisation techniques to help customers feel they are in secure hands.

Customers should defer their visit to saloons if they have fever and flu symptoms in the future. Savitha Samaja members had recently submitted memorandums to Chief Minister through MP Nalin Kumar Kateel and MLA Vedavyas Kamath on relaxing the lockdown guidelines.

Jane, the owner of a beauty parlour, vowed to use gloves and masks while working with customers.

“Some of the materials like wax strips are disposable after its use. We will sterilise combs, black-head removers, scissors, materials used for pedicure and manicure after every use, once the parlour is reopened,” she stressed.