KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — Haircutting services will not automatically be allowed to operate during the government’s movement control order (MCO) as the expanded list of businesses must apply to the government first before resuming operations, Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said today.

Ismail also confirmed his Cabinet colleague Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s remarks yesterday that the new sectors allowed to operate are limited to just green zones in the country.

When asked if the government would retract its approval for haircutting services during the MCO, Ismail Sabri replied: "As I mentioned yesterday, MITI will be scrutinising all the views given. From what we were informed by MITI, it does not mean it is automatic or that it would be automatically implemented when it is announced.

"I was made to understand that there are application processes and not all that apply would be accepted or would be rejected. This is a decision that will be made by MITI.” MITI is the acronym for the Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

"Furthermore, the proposal is that it will be in green zones only, not in red zones. However, the details, the detailed SOP will certainly be issued by MITI.

"As of today, as I mentioned earlier, the government accepts views from the public, and as I mentioned earlier, MITI will scrutinise and go through each view given by the public.

"Just that at the preliminary stage, I wish to say that it is not automatic but through applications. But the decision is still left to MITI, let MITI issue press statements to provide explanations,” he added.

In Malaysia, there are currently only 29 districts that are green zones or districts where there are no reported Covid-19 cases, including just four districts in the whole of peninsula Malaysia, based on the latest maps issued by the Health Ministry at the federal level.

In Kuala Lumpur, for example, all four districts are red zones, while all districts in the most-affected state of Selangor are all red zones except for the orange zones of Kuala Selangor and Kuala Langat and the yellow zone of Sabak Bernam.

The only green zones left in Peninsular Malaysia are the districts of Yan in Kedah, Machang in Kelantan, Hulu Terengganu in Terengganu and Kampar in Perak, as of April 11.

The bulk of the green zones are in Sabah and Sarawak, with eight districts and 17 districts there respectively that have yet to record any Covid-19 cases.

On April 10, MITI announced a list of additional sectors that would be allowed to resume operations during the MCO with certain limitations and conditions imposed, on top of the essential services already allowed previously to operate during the MCO.

Included in the list were haircut services by hairdressers, but public concern was raised over the safety of such operations.

The Malaysian Hairdressing Association had also highlighted that 91 per cent of its members did not agree to resuming business during the MCO, due to the risks of Covid-19 infections to both customers and hairdressers as social distancing cannot be carried out during haircuts.

"Haircut should not be listed as a necessary essential service, no matter long hair or short hair, the most important thing for now is to stay alive. The purpose of the movement control order is to save people’s lives, not their appearance,” the association had said yesterday.

Malaysia is currently under a six-week MCO — following two extensions including one announced on April 10 — that will last until April 28.