No 'barbershop cluster', says Health DG

PUTRAJAYA: There is no “barbershop cluster” after 29 close contacts of a Covid-19 positive barber tested negative for the virus, says Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

The Health director-general said previously, 40 individuals were singled out for having close contacts with the barber, a Pakistan national.

However, further investigation by the Health Ministry found that only 31 individuals can be classified as “close contacts”.

“We only screened 31 close contacts, and from that number, 29 tested negative. Another two are still waiting for results. But so far, there is no 'barbershop cluster' as there is only one positive case out of this, ” said Dr Noor Hisham at the ministry’s daily Covid-19 press conference here on Monday (June 15).

The barber had tested positive for Covid-19 after he was sent for screening by his employer, as it is a requirement for all foreign barbers to be tested first.

It was revealed that the barber had conducted house-to-house calls to cut customers’ hair during the movement control order (MCO).

The government had only started allowing barbershops and hair salons to operate on June 10 under strict Covid-19 guidelines.