KUALA LUMPUR, June 7 — Malaysia's hair salons are expected to charge customers an additional RM5 to RM10 for their services, due to the need to cover expenses for a new set of disposable protective equipment for every customer when they resume operations next Wednesday, reports have said.

In a report by local daily New Straits Times, the Malaysian Hairdressing Groups Association said its seven member groups had in a recent meeting discussed and agreed to the proposal to impose the additional fees on each customer, owing to the extra costs of facilitating compliance with the Covid-19 precautions stated by the government.

"It was unanimously agreed after taking into account the additional cost we would incur for the use of disposable kits for each customer. The increase in service charge is still relevantly minimum because owners and operators have to take into account the number of customers allowed and other SOPs which must be complied with at salons," the group's spokesman Bambang Sutrisno Soteto was quoted as saying by the NST.

The seven member groups were listed as Malaysian Hairdressing Association (MHA), Bumiputera Hairdressing Association (BUHA), Bumiputera Barbers Association (MBBA), Hairdressing Skills Development Association (HSDA), Malaysian Indian Hairdressing Association (MIHASS), Malaysian Indian Hair Dressing Salon Owners Association (Mindas) and Federal Territories Indian Hairstylists' Association (PJRISWP).

In a separate report by local daily The Star, AK Selvan, who chairs the Malaysia Hair Salon Owners Association (Mahas), said the additional cost of RM5 to RM10 would be for the purchase of disinfectants and single-use equipment, such as gloves, aprons and capes, as required under the authorities' standard operating procedures for hair salons.

"We are ready to make sure our barbers wear a face shield and disposable aprons and gloves, which must be changed after every customer.

"We must also provide disposable capes for each customer and disinfect our tools and spray the chairs after each customer,” he was quoted as saying by The Star.

According to The Star, Selvan said each disposable cape costs RM1, and 500ml worth of disinfectant would cost RM45 and is expected to be sufficient for 10 customers.

Hair salons have been closed for more than two months under the movement control order and conditional movement control order imposed in the country to curb the spread of Covid-19, causing a loss of income to the salons, hairdressers and their employees.

Yesterday, the government announced that barbers, hairdressers and personal grooming businesses would be allowed to resume business from June 10 (Wednesday) but with tight standard operating procedures required, including the single-use of disposable safety gloves and aprons for both hair stylists and customers that must be changed after every patron’s visit.