Salons and beauty parlours can operate with a 50 per cent cap, the state government said in a revised notification on Saturday.
Last Sunday’s order announcing fresh restrictions to check the surge in Covid cases had ordered the closure of “swimming pools, spas, gyms, beauty parlours, saloons and wellness centres”.
Saturday’s revised notification said: “Salons and beauty parlours may operate with 50 per cent of seating capacity up to 10pm. Owners/management shall ensure that all the staff and customers are fully vaccinated and all Covid protocols... are duly followed.”
The leeway is like a lifeline for thousands of people who make a living by working at salons and parlours. The sector has bled profusely over the past two years.
Rabi Mondal, a hairdresser at the Kasba New Market outlet of Be Bonnie, has spent “sleepless nights” since Sunday. The 27-year-old, who lives in Sonarpur, had borrowed money from different sources to sustain his family during the lockdowns of the past two years. His father, a driver, lost his job during the lockdown in 2020 and is yet to find one.
“I dread to think what would have happened if the revised order did not come,” said Mondal, who earns “around Rs 15,000” per month.
The owners of salons said sustaining two lockdowns in one financial year would have been disastrous. December to February is the prime time for salons because it is the wedding season and staying totally shut would have led to huge losses, they said.
“Salons were shut for most of May and June in 2021. There was zero income but we had to keep paying rents and electricity bills. We could not pay our employees. A repeat would have driven many families towards penury,” said Pankaj Killa, owner and director of Head Turners, a salon chain with 22 outlets in Kolkata.
“More than 10 lakh people across Bengal are dependent on this industry. Another prolonged closure would have been a fatal blow. We are grateful to the government for the revised order,” said Mousumi Mitra, the co-owner of Be Bonnie chain of salons and the joint secretary of the association.