Bangladeshi barbers wearing PPE help quell customers' fears amid pandemic

Many hair salons and barbershops have been closed around the world to slow the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, has been no exception.

Barbershops and hairdressers reopened recently, however, after more than two months of a COVID-19-induced lockdown that ended late last month.

But upon reopening, barbershops here have seen fewer customers due to the pandemic which has continued unabated in the city of about 20 million people.

For this reason, people in Dhaka, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, have reportedly opted to have their hair cut at home.

To quell customer fears, hairdressers and barbers in the city, however, have started wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) while giving haircuts.




Unicorn Hair Salon in Dhaka's Banasree area is one such salon where all the staff wear appropriate protective equipment and maintain good hygiene practices.

Tanjid Ahmed, who is in charge of the salon, said they ensure the safety of the customers by wearing PPE suits and using all possible safety measures in a bid to prevent the further spread of the virus.

"We regularly disinfect all the surfaces and equipment. We disinfect them using ultraviolet (UV) technology in this machine," he said, pointing to the piece of equipment.

He added that measures they have taken must have helped immensely to restore customers' confidence because more and more people are returning to their shop.

Md. Omar Farooq, a customer, said that while his home is near to the salon he was reluctant to come due to concerns about the pneumonia-causing virus.

"It's scary to come to a salon during this COVID-19 situation and I was hesitant as to whether to come or not, during such a crisis," he said.


Farooq was happy with the services they are providing, especially with all the precautionary measures.

"Once I knew that they were running the salon with all the necessary COVID-19 preventive measures, I felt confidant to return," he added.

Tanvir Ahmed, the salon's owner, said they were trying to offer the best services to customers amid difficult times.

"All our staff (hairdressers) ensure the safety of customers through wearing PPE, masks and using safety equipment," he explained.


As one measure specifically, he said that before a customer enters his shop, they check their body temperature.

"We've prepared hand sanitizer and we spray disinfectant on the customers' clothes," he said.

The Bangladeshi government issued an order allowing shops and markets to reopen in the country from May 10 on a limited scale weeks after giving permission to reopen factories as part of easing the nationwide shutdown.

The number of confirmed infections in the country totaled 141,801, while fatalities stood at 1,783, according to official figures on Monday.