KUALA LUMPUR, May 12 — Senior Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob today appeared surprised when asked about barbers providing haircut services privately at homes of certain VIPs, adding that such services are still not allowed.

In a press conference today, the defence minister said, "This is news to me. I myself didn’t get the news about this.

"According to the rules, it is definitely not allowed. However, this is news which perhaps cannot be verified, and I too cannot give answers as to yes or no. 

"Until now barbers or hair cut services are still under the negative list. So they can't offer services to homes, offices or in the saloons," he said.

This morning, Malay Mail highlighted that some barbers in the capital have taken to making house-calls in order to keep food on the table.

Malaysian Bumiputera Barber Association (MBBA) president TN Winda Mohd Tahir said it would be unfair of the government to put a stop to these house calls, claiming some ministers and police officers in Bukit Aman have contacted their members for the service.

In one case, he said the barber was even offered RM1,000 for a simple haircut. He did not divulge the details of these clients.

"If the government is not going to allow any hair cutting services, it should be across the board and be fair to everyone. Don’t call our members and ask them to provide their services on an individual basis.

"We’ve received reports that a minister offered one of our members RM1,000 for his haircut and even offered to get his driver to fetch him. One of them also received a call from a Bukit Aman boss asking him to provide haircuts for police officers,” he told Malay Mail.

Checks on social media platforms like Instagram show a few advertising their house-call services, promising customers they are in good health, in addition to wearing masks and gloves.

In a bid to convince customers, some barbers have also taken to displaying so-called "Covid-19 certification” by American company King Research Inc that supplies barber products under the brand Barbicide, signed by the president of the company Alan Murphy.

However, checks by Malay Mail showed that in order to "receive” the certification, one would only need to take a course on Barbicide’s website.

In the course, participants are informed of several facts involving Covid-19, such as how it spreads, the importance of social distancing and sanitising surfaces, and the need to wear personal protective equipment (PPE).

They will then need to answer 12 questions in a quiz related to the previous course. One needs to score at least 10 correct answers to receive the certificate.

When we anonymously contacted one such barbershop, which provides house calls in the Shah Alam area and asked if a barber could come to Taman Tun Dr Ismail, we were asked to head to a personal residence instead.

Last month, Putrajaya briefly considered allowing the barber service sub-sector to operate during Phase Three of the MCO, from April 14 to April 28.

However, Ismail Sabri had on the eve of Phase Three of the MCO, said that barbershops and hair salons would not be allowed to operate.

As a result of the government’s U-turn, barbershops and hair salons have remained shuttered, even as many businesses resumed operations starting May 4.