Combating coronavirus: Elderly, children not allowed in Sharjah salons

Sharjah - The municipality recently spelt out measures to ensure the health safety of the workers and hygiene of the tools used during the services in the facility.

The Sharjah Municipality will step up inspections on ladies and gents hairdressing salons as well as beauty centres to ensure they adhere to the prescribed health safety procedures and preventive measures to stymie the spread of Covid-19 pandemic. The health department inspectors, teaming up with Sharjah Economic Development Department, will take tough measures against the violators.
Sheikha Shaza Al Mualla, assistant director-general of the Public Health Sector and Central Laboratories, said that the municipality is continuing its field follow-up of hairdressing salons and beauty centres to keep tabs on their compliance with the health requirements and preventive measures.
The municipality recently spelt out measures to ensure the health safety of the workers and hygiene of the tools used during the services in the facility.
If the team finds any breach, the authorities take necessary deterrent measures against the violators, Al Mualla pointed out.
Dr Amal Al Shamsi, director of the Public Health Department, said that the municipality issued protocols and guidelines to salons and beauty centres after allowing them to resume their activities. These include closing the facility during the national sterilisation period, limiting the offered services to shaving, hairdressing, nail care and doing away with the waiting area. "They must receive clients based on appointment system and not accept a walk-in client while the worker is busy with another customer," Al Shamsi said.
The salons were told to operate at 30 per cent of their capacity in the shop while maintaining physical distancing, with no less than two meters of space between each person. The workers must ask the customer to leave the salon as soon as they have availed of the service, Al Shamsi added.
Elderly, kids barred from salons
Al Shamsi pointed out that it is not allowed to provide service to those over 60 years of age and children under 12. Receiving customers with symptoms of cold or flu is also banned. The salon must refrain from using tools that are used once and adhere to the precautionary measures and health standards when replacing them.
It is also mandatory to use single-use towels. Workers must wear masks and gloves and wash and sterilise their hands before and after service, cleaning and disinfection. They must continuously sterilise the tools, benches and the all the equipment.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com 

• Sharjah