Enough is enough, even the government cannot imagine how we are surviving if I were not able to pay this month’s rent so I would have to evacuate the place where I am running my salon, it was the view of a lady with tears in eyes who runs her salon in Karachi.
With various businesses, including restaurants, hotels, marriage halls, cinema houses, educational institutes, gyms and beauty parlours that have been closed for the past five months were now on the verge of collapse.
“Beauty parlour industry is about to slump and people relating to this business suffering a lot as it has been closure of five months,” said Nadia Hussain
While talking to Daly Times during the protest at Karachi Press Club supermodel, actress and beautician Nadia Hussain said that the Government should allow the beauty parlours to be opened as other businesses have been allowed to work.
Owners and workers of Beauty Salons were part of the protest and chanting the slogans of “How workers will survive”, “Listen to us, open the parlours”, “Rise up, Raise your voice and Let’s unite”.
Protestors were demanding the relief from Sindh Government as they have announced for others business.
“Majority of parlours and salon are rented and they are being said to evacuate the place as they are not able to pay rent now”, they described
One of salon owner said that we have been paying our workers but now we don’t have money to pay so how they will live on adding that we have been suffocated all this while and yet they remain indifferent to our cries.
A young girl who used to work in parlour said that “I don’t know any work except doing makeup, if government didn’t allow to reopen salon so what people would do like me”, she asked
Nadia Hussain stressed that the extension in lockdown must be immediately withdrawn and the administration ought to focus to restore the business in metropolis as people are starving and they have nothing to live on. She said as far as implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs)are concerned we are ready to follow and we assure the government that we will follow all SOPs instructed by the government.
“If government allow us to reopen salons and parlours so clients will be spaced out, partition screens will be put in place for their hands to go under, masks will be worn at all times and there will be a reduced number of customers,” she assured
Zehra Zahid, Founder & President of Xee Beauty, expressed her views that parlours are the place where women come to stress out after the services women feel comfortable and relax adding that if the parlours remain closed so I am afraid that the cases of stress and depression may be exceeded.
“Government should allow as internationally all beauty salons are working by following SOPs so we cannot “, she asked
Due to the coronavirus pandemic Sindh government had issued the notification, according to that beauty parlours, gyms, professional education institute and tourism spots would remain closed in the province.
Earlier they had a meeting with Provisional Minister Saeed Ghani and he could not say anything regarding opening beauty parlours. Before this they had also called on Governor Sindh Imran Ismail with a delegation of the Beauty Parlour Association, but nothing happened.
In May 2020, The Sindh High Court had instructed the Sindh government to review its decision to keep the beauty parlours closed adding that Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar has asked the government to make SOPs for beauty parlours and hair salons.
In spite of this government has done nothing for the beauty parlours and yet all salons are closed till date.
