Barber shops, hair salons to reopen in Sarawak from June 9 but only hair cutting services allowed

KUCHING: The Sarawak disaster management committee has decided to allow barber shops and hair salons in the state to reopen from June 9.

Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah said they could only provide hair cutting services.

"It is for hair cutting only. No massage or facials," he said at the committee's daily Covid-19 briefing here on Thursday (June 4).

Asked about the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for barber shops and hair salons to reopen, Uggah said the details would be provided soon.

"They have to make sure there is minimum contact and be vigilant about their health. These are being taken into consideration," he said.

Uggah, who chairs the committee, also announced that four nature reserves in the state will reopen on June 8 in compliance with SOP which had been issued.

The nature reserves which are popular with joggers and nature lovers are Samajaya here, Bukit Lima in Sibu, Bukit Sembiling in Limbang and Piasau in Miri.

On Covid-19, Uggah said Sarawak reported zero positive cases for the eighth consecutive day on Thursday.

He said the total confirmed cases in the state remained at 552 while the number of recoveries climbed to 523 after two more patients were discharged from the Sarawak General Hospital here and one from Sibu Hospital.

Uggah also said samples had been taken from 46,059 people in Sarawak for Covid-19 tests.

"Of the total, 34,921 are close and casual contacts of positive cases as well as individuals who entered Sarawak by air, land and sea routes.

"The remaining 11,138 samples were taken from tertiary students," he said.