This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on April 14, 2020

KUALA LUMPUR: 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, Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin had made the decision yesterday.

The ministry of international trade and industry had last Friday said several sectors would be allowed to operate during the MCO period, which included barbers, hairdressers and optical shops.

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

However, several quarters were against the idea, including the ministry of health, as health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah 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.