Along with several of the states in the country, Maharashtra has also been observing lockdown for over three months now. There were several restrictions placed on businesses to ensure safety amidst the coronavirus outbreak. Hair salons and gyms among some of the restrictions which people expressed concerned about.
However, In a recent decision, the government has decided to permit salons and gyms to reopen, from June 28, across Mumbai, Pune and other cities in Maharashtra. The information was shared by Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Aslam Sheikh who said that salons and gyms will be opened in Maharashtra, however, new guidelines will be issued for the same, within the next few days.
The state government has decided to re-open gyms and salons in Maharashtra within a week; guidelines will be issued for it. Maharashtra govt has not taken any decision on allowing religious gatherings in the state: Maharashtra Minister Aslam Sheikh pic.twitter.com/3XXc58OAFt
— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2020
Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation minister Vijay Wadettiwar confirmed that the salons and gyms can reopen from June 28. The decision was taken after a cabinet meeting and the plan was discussed with Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.
Salons and gyms will now have to adhere to the new guidelines and SOPs which focus on safety and cleanliness.This decision would bring a sigh of relief to many business owners, fitness enthusiasts and others. Since some offices have resumed work, the demand for grooming has increased since the last few weeks.
Talking about the same, Manish Chhabra, MD, and CEO at Hygiene Research Institute (Streax Professional), said, "While we welcome Government’s decision to allow salons to start operations again, we cannot stress more upon the need for stringent hygiene rules at salons and the requirement for the staff to be aware of the safety for themselves and those surrounding them. With reopening of salons, the industry will for sure get back to normal eventually but it will be the ‘new normal’ that we will need to accept and live with, so salons will have to be prepared about the fact that it might take months for professionals, as well as customers, to get back to their usual salon routine. The salons which demonstrate more on higher hygiene procedures and high safety standards will reach normalcy sooner than the other salons. Social distancing, temperature checking, frequent sanitization of the salon area and every single object of use, wearing masks, service on an appointment basis only, etc. are going to be the standard way of functioning for salons, and the professionals and customers must adhere to it for everyone’s safety. Equipping the staff with the right tools and knowledge about these new situation is of utmost importance and must be done before we start operations."
The salon industry has gone through an unprecedented situation and a challenging time, but now it’s the time for us to bounce back to business stronger than ever before”.
As of June 24, 2020, Maharashtra had a total of 1,42,900, out of which Mumbai had a total of 69,528 cases, Thane had 11,220 cases and Navi Mumbai had 6,407 cases.
Under ‘Mission Begin Again’, the Maharashtra government has already allowed several activities but with restrictions. The activities have been allowed in phases. All markets, market areas and shops - except malls and market complexes - have been allowed to function on the odd-even basis.
The Maharashtra government is likely to allow the movement of taxis and autos for regular services since the private offices have started their operations. An official decision regarding the same is expected soon.
Note: This is a developing story and information regarding the same will be updated after more details are announced.
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