PUTRAJAYA should not allow barbershops to reopen during the movement-control order (MCO) as they are a prime location for transmitting the coronavirus, said medical experts.

They echoed Director-General of Health Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah’s statement that the measures taken under the first and second phases of the MCO from March 18 to April 14 should continue in the third phase.

Despite the wishes of the private sector, he said, such services “should be delayed”.

“We cannot hope to return to normalcy during this phase. We should continue to maintain social distancing and avoid public gatherings the best we can,” he told a daily press briefing on Covid-19 yesterday.

Barbershops are among a handful of businesses and industries that are allowed to reopen as the MCO is extended by another two weeks to April 28.

While they support allowing more sectors to continue operations, the experts warned that relaxing restrictions too early could undo much of the MCO’s success in breaking the chain of infections.

“Ending the MCO prematurely or relaxing the restrictions too early and giving a false sense of security could result in new cohorts appearing with a vengeance and reverse many of the gains made so far,” said the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy think-tank.

The experts are also concerned about how to enforce social distancing and hygiene rules at a greater number of workplaces if the restrictions are eased.

Of particular worry are businesses that employ many foreign workers as this group is considered high-risk, said the Public Health Experts’ Association.

“They live in cramped conditions, and there has been a severe lack of testing among them for the virus,” president Dr Zainal Ariffin Omar told The Malaysian Insight.

“There are worries that these two factors could lead to new Covid-19 clusters breaking out among them like what happened in Singapore.”

The republic, which had been able to largely contain infections, on Thursday reported a record daily increase of 287 new cases, with more than 200 linked to foreign workers’ dormitories.

In Kuala Lumpur, meanwhile, two flats occupied by foreign workers were placed under the enhanced MCO on Tuesday after 15 coronavirus cases were detected among residents.

Dr Zainal’s concerns are based on the fact that many of the industries that have been given the nod to continue operations employ mostly foreigners in semi-skilled or factory roles, and on construction sites.

These industries include the manufacture of automotive parts, machine components, and aerospace goods and services.

Certain parts of the construction industry are also allowed to reopen, such as large-scale projects that are 90% completed and those involving tunnelling, maintenance and sloping works.

Dr Zainal said reopening electronics and hardware shops poses a risk to social distancing.

“There is a risk that when you allow these shops to open again, people will just congregate there. Strict procedures on the dos and don’ts must be spelled out to these businesses.”

Adapting to ‘new normal’

On Friday, the government announced the extension of the MCO to curb the spread of the virus, which as of yesterday has infected 4,530 people and claimed 73 lives in Malaysia.

The extension was accompanied with the decision to allow certain sectors to resume operations. Besides the aforementioned industries and services, the others are:

* Science, professional and technical services, including research and development (services incidental to legal practice and to oil and gas, R&D activities related to Covid-19, and testing labs for the sectors allowed to operate);

* Social health services, including registered traditional and complementary medicine practitioners;

* Optometrists in the wholesale and retail industries; and,

* Full-service laundrettes.

Former Kampar MP Dr Ko Chung Sen said barbershops’ small premises and the close physical contact required in the trade make these places especially high-risk for infections.

“Because there are many asymptomatic carriers, one client can infect the whole shop and spawn an entirely new cluster of positive cases,” said Dr Ko, who is also Kepayang assemblyman.

“So, it is unsuitable for barbershops to reopen during the MCO when we want to flatten the rate of infections.”

Galen Centre executive director Azrul Mohd Khalib said if barbershops are allowed to resume business, they must be prepared to adopt new practices suited to the “new normal”, where the threat of infection is ever-present.

“Certain businesses, such as cafes, restaurants and personal grooming services, should get used to imposing high levels of hygiene and cleanliness on their products and customers.

“Businesses must learn and adapt quickly. Failure to learn means getting infected.” – April 12, 2020.