H4ufme LIVE: How to prepare for reopening after the COVID-19 outbreak? H4ufme talks to Malaysian hairdressers.

How do you take precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 when reopening your salon?

Elvin Soh (E): We will try to have a zero-touch approach between the hairstylist and the customer, and we will also provide the salon with disposable tools such as cutting capes, towels, etc.

Simon Koh (S): When the customer enters the salon, we will ask the customer to fill in a declaration form. In addition to the basic information of the customer, we will also take the customer's temperature and find out whether the customer has a recent record of going abroad.

Boey Chong (B): Besides the basic disinfection measures in the shop, hairstylists and customers must also wear masks, and hairstylists need to wear gloves as much as possible, despite the fact that gloves will prevent the hairstylists from handling the customer's hair.

Do you disinfect the hair tools and equipment regularly?

E: We've all had the habit of sterilizing our tools even before the pandemic.

S: This is everyone's responsibility; everybody needs to take note on clean sanitation.

B: During this period, the cost of disinfection is forced to increase. For example, alcohol and disinfectant all need some expenses, so our salon will do some special promotions to cover it.

The cost increase is inevitable, but this is a responsible safety issue after all. What do you think of the price cut?

E: There is no right or wrong in price cutting. I don't think it's necessary to cut the price. It's better to leave it to the cost of epidemic prevention measures. In addition, I think we can make concessions to keep the profits in the salon. After all, customers and owners are facing economic problems as well. However, if we cut the price in order to get the number of customers, our employees will suffer the most in the end.

S: I will pay more attention to the regular customers in my shop and let them get the promotion first. I hope we can help each other.

B: We will promote sales, but we will not cut prices, because this will only cause the situation of peer killing each other

Promotion may bring another crisis (for the salons) - which is the surge of the increased customers. Is there any way to maintain the separation of customers yet still implementing the safe social distance (between customers) in the salon?

E: We will receive customers by appointment so that we can reserve the seats in the salon and keep the customers at a 1-metre social distance to have a safe haircut.

S: We will reduce the current 10 chairs in the salon to five to ensure a safe social distance between customers.

B: We only accept customers who have made an appointment, but reject all of the walk-in customers.

In addition to having promotion and basic epidemic prevention measures, what are the extension methods for the salon reopening?

E: I'm very supportive of my team's production of small videos on social media which I think is a good way to promote in-salon performance. 

S: We will sell products on the Internet and strengthen door-to-door service.

B: I think social media is very important. We should change with the times. After all, there is no need to spend money to use social media for advertising. It depends on your creativity.