MoH issues guidelines for barber shops, salons; imposes restrictions on services

• Salons required to adopt special measures to ensure minimal physical contact with customers
• Certificate to be issued by MOH in each area after inspecting necessary measures in place
• Masks, eye shields mandatory for barbers/beauticians when interacting with customers
• Services limited to cutting, trimming, and dyeing of hair and few others

The Ministry of Health yesterday issued workplace safety guidelines for barber and beauty salons, restricting the services they can offer to cutting, dyeing, and trimming of hair, manicures and pedicures, and waxing of arms and legs.

“Although the Ministry of Health is allowing the opening of salons for these services considering the public need, physical distancing, which is a prime control measure, cannot be maintained between barber/dresser and customer in this setting. Hence some special measures are to be adopted in salons if they are to be opened, and every facility must strictly ensure these are adopted,” the MoH said.

The MoH said health authorities and Police will monitor activities of salons and that appropriate action will be taken against those who violate these rules.

Salon owners who wish to reopen have to make a request to the Medical Officer of Health (MOH) of their area and are required to fill in an application and checklist for opening of barber shops/salons. Once the MOH is informed that the facilities and structure have been arranged, the Public Health Inspector (PHI) in charge of the area will inspect these arrangements, comparing with the checklist, and provide his recommendation to the Medical Officer of Health.

Considering this recommendation, a certificate for commencement of a barber shop/salon will be issued by the MOH.

The barbers/ beauticians will be required to wear masks and goggles/eye shields when attending to customers and have bins for disposing used masks and tissues. Hair that has been cut should be collected in bags, and only disposed after a week, while the same rule will apply to the disposal of masks, tissues, wipes etc.

Larger institutions are required to ensure that only permanent and traceable staff are called for duty, while also having facilities for temperature checks for all staff and customers at entrance.

The guidelines do not recommend shaving of beards and moustaches as well as the use of air conditioners.

The guidelines were issued after several prominent representatives of the beauty industry, including Nayana Karunaratne and Ramani Fernando, met with Health Minister Pavithra Wanniarachchi and Dr. Jasinghe this week to request relief for the sector, which has been hit hard by the coronavirus.

They informed the Minister that the sector employees around 200,000 workers, and they are keen to commence work with the health measures in place.