Iman Mall barbers, ians granted reprieve

he tell we once we keep the lace clean, even though it is ot our area, we could stay.” “For now we are good ere and everything seems ettled,” injected another endor. Stabroek News observed hat base of the work stations were covered with new vinoay and had each operator ad a new tent. According to he hairdressers and nail echnicians, they were equired to purchase the new nts if they wanted to connue plying their trade. City Hall Public Relations fficer Debra Lewis told tabroek News that at the onclusion of the meeting he mayor informed group hat she would be taking their discussions to full council before a decision was made.

Chase-Green had said she was not being hard on the barbers and cosmetologists by removing them but was only following public health guidelines, which state that they should operate in enclosed spaces equipped with facilities to sterilise instruments used.

Two Wednesdays ago, city workers led by Town Clerk Royston King demolished stalls in the area where the cosmetologists operated. “We are just removing the ugliness to create a picture of excellence and beauty,” King had said, while noting that the area where some of the hairdressers and nail technicians operated had “stalls with old wood and vinolay and have left the area looking like a shantytown.”

In previous news articles, it had been reported that Chase-Green said the barbers and cosmetologists had one month to find private spaces to operate in. ChaseGreen also pointed out that the decision to clear the area was due to their failure to keep it clean.

The operators were relocated to the strip between Light and Cummings streets last year from the pavements of America, Longden, Regent and Croal streets after City Hall had embarked on a cleanup campaign.