LETTER | An open letter to Health DG on a hairy topic

Dear Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah,

The country cannot thank you enough for your sacrifices and noble effort in leading the battle against Covid-19. It is the duty of all responsible Malaysians to play our roles in continuing this battle. Our beloved country and embattled economy are now given the opportunity to start their recovery. However, not everyone is so fortunate.

I am writing this to bring to your light the plight of 15,000 businesses – many of them on the verge of closure – and 60,000 workers, who continue to suffer, in an industry on the brink of collapse: hair salons and hairdressers.

When the CMCO (conditional movement control order) was first implemented, PM’s special advisor on Public Health Dr Jemilah Mahmood said we have successfully managed to flatten the curve and as the virus will remain with us for the foreseeable future, our only course of action is to learn how to live with it. As the purpose of the MCO is not to overwhelm our healthcare system, at 30 percent utilisation capacity in our hospitals, I believe we have already achieved that.

Germany, Switzerland, Denmark and many countries around the world including China, Italy, the United States as well as Singapore – all countries with higher active cases than Malaysia – have already reopened their hairdressing sector.

Hair salons remained open throughout the crisis in Japan, Taiwan and Australia, yet they are among the least infected countries in the world. This correlates to available data that hair salons do not pose greater risks than other sectors with the proper implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs). As far as I am aware, there hasn’t been any evidence that point to the hair industry posing greater threats than many other sectors that have since reopened anywhere in the world.

Dr Susan Hassig, an associate professor of epidemiology at the Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine in New Orleans, put hair and nail salons in the category of medium risk – the same as indoor dining and social activities such as gathering with a couple of friends, while gathering with family and friends in larger groups are categorized as high risk.

As recent reports have shown, some hairdressers have started doing house calls. This poses a real and immediate risk of spreading the virus as they are going from an environment that can be regulated like hair salons to one which is impossible to regulate such as someone’s home. The number of illegal house calls will only increase as it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to monitor and enforce.

On May 14, 2020, Dr Takeshi Kasai of the World Health Organization said people should not have to choose between health and livelihood. I hope you will give us the same opportunity that you have given to so many businesses and allow my colleagues and I to present to you our SOPs that are stricter and more comprehensive than what many countries that have opened up their hairdressing industries are doing.

With my utmost respect and humility, I ask you to show the 15,000 hairdressers throughout the country – who have brought joy and smiles to the lives of so many Malaysians; who have lent friendly ears to troubled souls; who have provided comfort and familiarity to our customers with relationships a many that have blossomed into long-lasting friendships – are worthy of consideration for an opportunity to restart our lives and mend our broken businesses…that we are not alone in this fight during one of the worst health and financial crises of our time.

With gratitude,

Vincent Ho

Hair salons business owner