Asked beauty therapists and hairdressers how business had been over the past few weeks since lockdown rules were eased and they were allowed to go back to work. Some were upbeat, but others sketched a sombre picture of how slow business was currently.

Bianca Terblanche, the owner of a beauty salon at the Point in Mossel Bay said: “It’s quieter than before the lockdown. People are having the basics done, not luxuries. It is hard to say whether we are that much quieter than usual because it is winter time, when beauty salons are usually quiet. People are not afraid of coming in, because all the Covid-19 protocols are in place.”