Penang’s salons and parlours have one week to master SOP

GEORGE TOWN: Barber shop, hair salon and beauty parlour operators in the state will be given a one-week grace period to familiarise themselves with the standard operating procedure (SOP) before enforcement is taken, says the state Local Government Committee.

Its chairman Jagdeep Singh Deo said operators needed to be educated first on the guidelines and SOP which were part of the conditions to resume operations.

“We will give the operators a week to get used to them before taking strict action to ensure the safety and health of operators and customers.

“The SOP includes providing a price list at the entrance, taking the temperature of customers, practising social distancing and stating the maximum number of customers allowed in the shop at any one time.

“We hope the public will report if they find any operators who do not adhere to the SOP,” he said at the closing of the Covid-19 testing booth at Polo Ground here on Friday.

Seberang Prai City Council (MBSP) mayor Datuk Rozali Mohamud, who was present, said the council inspected around 15% of the 387 licensed salons under its jurisdiction.

“Only 15% of them complied with the SOP. We hope salon owners treat the matter seriously.

“Those who are unsure of the SOP, including night markets, farmers’ markets, markets and uptown bazaars, which are allowed to begin operations next Monday, can visit mbsp.gov.my and search under the ‘perniagaan’ column.

“Traders at markets will have to send in their applications before they resume operations, and proper planning has to be taken into account. To prevent overcrowding, some of them have to work on a rotation basis,” he said.

Penang Island City Council (MBPP) mayor Datuk Yew Tung Seang said hair salons on the island that were checked were found to have complied with the SOP.

“We have 389 barber shops, 320 hair salons and 397 beauty salons on the island. Most operators we met are happy that they are able to resume business,” he said.

On a separate matter, Jagdeep said all documented foreign workers in the construction sector in Penang had applied to undergo Covid-19 screening.

“There is a total of 13,201 documented foreign workers in the construction sector in Penang, of whom 96.2% have undergone screening.

“Of this, 15% did so at the screening site at Padang Polo, and all tested negative so far,” he said.