COVID-19: Saudi Arabia clamps down on barber shops

Cairo: Saudi authorities have mounted large-scale inspections of barber shops hours after they returned to business after three-month closure to ensure their compliance with precautions to stem the spread of the novel coronavirus, according to media reports.

On Sunday, a nationwide curfew was fully lifted across Saudi Arabia where all businesses resumed work amid strict preventive measures against the virus under a plan for gradual return to normal life in the kingdom.

Local authorities in the port city of Jeddah closed Sunday a total of 130 stores, including 41 barber shops, during field inspections after they were found to have violated preventive protocols, a municipal official said.

Barber shops and beauty salons are required according to reoperation measures to abide by precautions including social distancing, regular disinfection and providing sterilisation for clients, added the undersecretary of Jeddah's sub-municipalities Mohammed Bin Ebrahim. Employees on duty have also to wear protective face masks while crowding is banned inside shops.

Seven more barber shops were closed in the province of Yanbu in western Saudi Arabia for violating health guidelines and preventive measures, Sabq newspaper reported Monday.

While easing virus-related restrictions, Saudi Arabia has retained a halt to international air travel and the Umrah journeys and imposed a ban on gatherings of over 50 persons.