KUALA LUMPUR (April 13): The government has decided to disallow the resumption of operations of barbers, hairdressing salons and optometrists during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period, following complaints from various parties.

According to the National Security Council (NSC), Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had made the decision today.

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) had last Friday (April 10) said several sectors will be allowed to operate during the MCO period, which included barbers, hairdressers and optical shops.

Senior Minister (Security Cluster) Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob later clarified that these businesses will have to apply to the relevant authority in order to resume operations, and later added that only businesses in designated green zones will be allowed to operate.

However, several quarters were against the idea, including the Ministry of Health, as Director-General of Health Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah had urged businesses like barber shops to defer the resumption of their operations.

He said there should be at least two weeks of postponement and had emphasised the importance of the third phase of the MCO in the fight to break the chain of Covid-19 infections.

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