Workers Return to Jobs with Quarantine Haircuts
No matter what irresponsible protestors might want you to believe, haircuts do not trump lives. That said, as non-essential businesses prepare to reopen, you can’t help wondering what hairstyles workers will be sporting back to work.
California established its stay-at-home orders in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“When the time came for my haircut, that’s when I realized the barbershop must be closed,” said 26-year-old Anthony Cervantes. “And, sure enough it was.”
What came next is something between comical and disastrous. Cervantes went four weeks without a haircut until he had enough. He found some old clippers deep in the drawers of his restroom. The last time Cervantes used his hair clippers was in high school when his mother would cut his hair to save a couple dollars.
“I didn’t trust myself, so I had Jaz (his girlfriend) do it,” Cervantes said. “I wanted to maintain the hair style I had and it was going well, until the damn clip fell off and she nicked the top of my head. As soon as it happened, I knew we had to buzz it all off.”
While some people choose to take their risk in cutting their hair, others remain loyal to their
barbers, the only people worthy of touching their hair.
Take it from Devon Hamilton, owner of Soulful Shears Barbershop in Rancho Palos Verdes. Hamilton has owned his shop for almost 25 years. Since the stay-at-home order, Hamilton has received countless calls from his regular clientele, asking if they can get a haircut in their own homes.
But Hamilton, who is facing hardship while continuing to pay rent for his business, would rather play it safe and prevent any exposure of the virus to himself, his community and his loved ones. Hamilton explained that he sees his customers’ perspective as well. Some of them still have work and would like to look presentable but until it’s safe to return to his business, he doesn’t plan on cutting any hair. Hamilton knows of people through social connections and social media that must continue working to provide for their family and financial well-being, but luckily for Hamilton he is able to afford to stay home and remain safe with his family and newborn baby.
“I rather play it safe than be sorry and just bite the bullet,” Hamilton said. “But like I said, I am able to do that and some people aren’t able to.”
Before the stay-at-home order, Hamilton’s Soulful Shears Barber Shop was fully operational with chairs always filled with returning customers coming in for their weekly haircuts. Business was doing well even though the barber shop was moved to a new location seven years ago. Hamilton also had plans on purchasing a new home; however, due to COVID-19 Hamilton has put his plans on hold.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced on April 28 the state’s plan to slowly reopen the economy. The plan will be done in separate phases to avoid any rapid spread of the virus. Unfortunately, businesses such as gyms, spas, salons and barber shops will reopen in a much later phase. It seems that some workers will have no choice but to return to work with their quarantine hair style and small businesses like barber shops will have to hold on much longer. No doubt looking like a caveman at work is not worse than illness or death. The only thing we can do is wait, Hamilton said.
“I’m not concerned about people not returning to the barber shop, people will always want their haircut,” he said.
Hamilton has applied for a loan for his business but has yet to receive any aid from the Small Business Administration Paycheck Protection Program, the program that allocates $349 billion for loans to small businesses that are struggling because of COVID-19. Soulful Shears is not the only small business that has yet to receive aid from the government.
According to the Los Angeles Development Corp. the protection program loan forgiveness plan had stopped accepting loan applications in mid-April, but as of April 27, 2020 the Paycheck Protection Program has resumed accepting applications.