Splitting hairs and split decisions

AFTER four days of yes, maybe, and finally no, hairdressing salons and barbershops will remain closed after all under the movement control order (MCO).

Yes, that is indeed the right decision – but why was it even an issue in the first place?

Yes, it was understandable that in deciding whether it should extend the MCO for the second time till April 28, the government would need to review the hard, medical data on the spread and the number of infections and fatalities in the country.

And that data would also be used in reviewing what sort of economic activities to relieve some of the shortages and pressures should be allowed but that would not inflate the infection curve.

And yes, while most of the sectors that were allowed to resume limited operations under strict conditions made economic sense – like automotive parts for export and the resumption of the cement and steel industries – relaxations for some services as a supposed direct benefit for the public didn’t.

I am fine with wholesale and retail hardware, electrical and electronic, and traditional and complementary medicine shops opening as long as they follow all the precautions supermarkets and pharmacies are practising: limiting the number of customers at any one time, monitoring temperatures, and safe distancing in queues.

Just as many people stuck at home are now learning to cook and bake to feed themselves and occupy their time, they must also become more handy and DIY smart because things break down in their houses that they must now rely on themselves to fix or least jerry-rig until the experts can make house-calls again.

But what was behind the decision to allow hairdressers and barbers to open shop, even if it was limited to haircuts?

Straightaway, Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah spoke up against it, and with good reason.

But that makes me wonder how the decision was made at the Federal Government level.

Perhaps the Covid-19 task force took very serious note of the Women and Family Ministry’s view that women must still look their best while stuck at home, so a haircut was just what they needed.

Or the powers-that-be thought the many jokes and memes on becoming very shaggy and unkempt meant this was what the people wanted.

Or perhaps some “maks datin” complained about how bad they and their husbands looked, and their whines went up to influential ears. That’s just cynical me thinking lah.

Whatever the reason for this decision, it’s clear very important people like Dr Noor Hisham were not consulted.

While the Malaysian Indian Hair Dressing Saloon Owners Association did ask for government financial aid, it did not ask for approval to resume their business.

In fact, I want to applaud the responsible and clear-headed reaction from the industry. The majority of hairdressers and barbers were not in favour of resuming their operations because they agreed with Dr Noor Hisham, and supported the reversal of the decision to let them resume business.

They were fully aware that their work required them to be in close and potentially dangerous proximity with their customers.

Hence, they and their staff would have had to wear personal protection equipment, which meant increasing costs that they could ill afford, especially when they were allowed only to give haircuts which Malaysian Hairdressing Association founder Billy Lim said made up only a small portion of their business.

Kudos to optometrists who were also initially allowed to reopen like hairdressers. They too reacted in the same responsible manner, saying the health risk was too great and they would prefer to remain closed.

Thus far, the government has done well in its response to this unprecedented global pandemic and we are not too far behind the countries – namely Singapore, Taiwan and South Korea – that have been able to contain the spread of the virus most successfully.

So dear politicians, please, please always consult the right experts – which in this case are doctors and scientists – before making decisions that affect the well-being of the people.

You don’t need such silly populist missteps that will simply be counter-productive to the gains made with the MCO and safe social distancing.

While the vast majority of Malaysians are behaving responsibly and adhering to the advice to stay home, wear a mask when out, and sanitise or wash hands frequently, there are still plenty of idiotic individuals who think they can sneak out to do what they wish, like jogging and having secret parties.

We hear of authorities at roadblocks dealing with such people who make up all sorts of excuses for being out, and “I need a haircut or to check my eyes” would surely have been a useful one for them.

I am actually quite proud that I look shaggy. It’s become a sort of badge of honour that shows I am MCO-compliant and focusing on the right things instead of my appearance.

It’s like what my sister who lives in Sydney told me: During the prolonged drought some years ago, Australians lived with water restrictions that barred them from watering their lawns and washing their cars.

And because the Australians understood the importance of compliance, it became almost a badge of honour to have brown, dead lawns and dirty, dusty cars. (Now if only the Aussies would learn to wear masks, social distance and stop thinking life is a beach!)

That’s how I view my unkempt hair and my grey roots. I can self-dye my hair, which I did when I needed to look good for social activities. Now that my social life is dead, I don’t see the need to dye my hair.

Similarly, my laundry has become very easy to do because everyone stays home in casual clothes, so the need to wash and iron work clothes has gone to zero.

That brings me to another point: do we need laundry services to resume? Doesn’t just about every household have a washing machine and I doubt households that don’t, send their laundry out.

As far as I know, people go to laundry outlets with their expensive clothes and winter wear that need professional dry-cleaning. Who’s wearing clothes like that now?

I will tell you what service I need: gas cylinder delivery! I used up my cooking gas two days ago and am on my spare tank. My usual delivery guy said he may come but he’s not sure when. This is deadly serious and important to the well-being of my family.

Since restrictions have eased on the oil and gas services in the third phase of the MCO, that should mean I get my cooking gas, right?

Yes? No? Maybe?