Out to revive an industry that heavily relies on human touch amid the ever increasing coronavirus positive cases, the salons across Gurgaon have been transformed into virtual hospitals. From mandating PPE kits, N95 masks and thermal screening of customers, the salons are following Beauty and Wellness Sector Skill Council guidelines to get back people in chair.
With over 500 salons, Gurgaon hosts one of the biggest salon industries in the country, which has been facing its worst slumps owing to the lockdown. The district has registered over 1,500 COVID-19 cases in the last ten days.
The salons have unanimously worked out a list of SOPs that range from allowing only a fixed number of customers, that too, from non containment zones, disposable equipment, cashless payments, no magazines or newspapers and physically distanced working stations.
“Thousands of people are struggling for livelihood with shutting of salons. We have been allowed to open shops but breaking the psychological fear of us being transmission hotbeds is the biggest challenge currently. To deal with this, we are spending a moolah, making our premises more fortified than hospitals. If we are defeated now, it will take a long time to bounce back,” says Animesh Batra of Gurgaon salon association.
“We have got all our employees screened and also they are thermal screened everyday. We take only three to four booking a day and the customer has to submit a residence proof showing he is not from a containment zone. The entire staff is donned in PPE and N95 . The work stations have been distanced, one time use linen is being used along with disposable equipment. We are UV sanitizing all tools,” says Imtyaz Alam, owner of Advance Cut Salon at Sector 15.
The salons, in addition, have mandated shoe covers; staff has been reduced from 30 to just 10, and wearing N 95 masks is mandatory in many cases. Many saloons are offering just shaves and haircuts and have still not started any services like waxing, facial, make-up etc. The customers are being asked to mandatorily wear an 'N-95 or triple layered surgical face mask', pay digitally and seek disposable towels, linen, and headbands.
Haryana seeks common COVID fighting strategy for NCR
As coronavirus cases continue to rise at an alarming rate in Haryana's NCR districts, Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala has sought united efforts with Delhi and Uttar Pradesh in containing the pandemic. Claiming that the entire NCR was struggling with sudden surge in positive cases, Chautala said rather than trying to put the blame on each other, Haryana, UP and Delhi are required to come together work out a strategy to combat the menace.
Haryana on Thursday registered 327 cases with Gurgaon recording the highest ever spike of 215 cases. The state tally has reached 3,281.
“NCR districts and cities may fall in different states but they are in a way seamless zones. People live in one place, work in another and commute through third, so if corona has to be fought then it has to be done unitedly with same uniform policies. The Supreme Court has asked all three states to prepare a common policy for inter-state movement and Haryana is ready to do that. We should, however, take this collaboration ahead in overall battle as well,” said Chautala.
Insisting on continuing the Work From Home rather than opening everything in Unlock1, Chautala said that the NCR has to stick to this plan to maintain social distancing.
“We have a different situation, borders must be opened for limited people and employees must be promoted for Work From Home. We have often cited inter-state movement as key transmission factor, so the best way to eliminate it is allowing Work From Home to the best extend possible,” added Chautala.
Meanwhile, the state nodal officer for COVID-19 who is also a senior professor in PGIMER Rohtak, has tested positive and has been replaced by Dr V.K. Katyal, HoD, Medicine PGIMER Rohtak. Forty-one staff members of PGI, including the medical superintendent, have been quarantined.