People in Wales become first in UK this year to get haircuts in salons
Customers in Cardiff said they felt ‘relieved’ and ‘refreshed’ after having their hair cut for the first time since Wales entered lockdown.
People in Wales have become the first in the UK to get their hair cut in a salon this year after the country’s restrictions on close contact services were eased.
Hairdressers and barbers were allowed to reopen on Monday for haircut appointments only and with a number of safety measures in place to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
First Minister Mark Drakeford said last week that businesses in the sector, which had been shut since Wales entered lockdown on December 20, would be allowed to reopen because they have “gone through everything that is needed in order to operate safely”.
Customers at Sleep When You’re Dead barbers in Cardiff said they felt “relieved” and “refreshed” after having their hair cut for the first time in 2021.
“I’m just relieved.
“I was going a little stir crazy.
“My wife says having a haircut is really important to how I am around the house, and with family and work.
“When my hair is a mess, I feel as if I’m appearing as a mess.
“A lot of my meetings are online, and I feel as if I’m not portraying my business in the way I’d want to.
“So it’s had a huge impact.”
Mr Saunders also said he had missed the camaraderie and social aspect of visiting his barbers, adding: “I think the health aspect and psychology is really underestimated.”
“It’s like we can see light at the end of the tunnel.
“If you’re dealing with customers, it looks good if you turn up and you’re looking and feeling a bit sharper.”
Safety measures at the barbers include staff and customers being required to wear disposable face masks and aprons provided by the shop, hands sanitised on entry, while work stations, instruments, and chairs are also sanitised between each haircut.
Beard trims are banned, track and trace forms also have to be completed by customers, and the shop is deep cleaned at the end of each day.
Manager Adrian Rooke said he was glad his staff could return to work, but said continued business was reliant on other industries reopening in Cardiff city centre.
He told PA: “Ours is a small economic community that relies on so many things.
“There’s nothing open in the city centre right now.
“Office workers are off, there’s no theatre, casino, restaurants, pubs clubs or wine bars.
“Cardiff city centre is a ghost town.
“We need other businesses back up and running.”
Monday’s reopening of hair salons marks the first lifting of rules for close contact services since Wales re-entered lockdown back in December, with businesses like nail parlours and beauty salons expected to remain shut until at least April 12.
Wales’ “stay-at-home” restrictions were lifted on Saturday as the country moved to a “stay local” period, with travel restrictions expected to be eased further in time for Easter.
Wales’ seven-day case rate on Monday stood at 39 cases per 100,000 people, which remains the lowest of any country in the UK.
