Salon and Spa operators have requested the government to re-open their businesses, after four months of being closed, following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

In their petition to the Speaker of Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, on 7 July 2020, they said that they had written to the Ministry of Health in regard to their plight but have not received any response.

As part of the measures to mitigate the spread of Covid-19, government directed the closure of salons and spas, among other businesses.

Mr Abdu Karim Mucunguzi, Chairperson of the Salon and Spa Association in Uganda cautioned that failure to re-open salons and spas may expose people to the pandemic since some salon operators are working, without taking precautions.

“You see people looking kempt. Where do you think they are getting all this done? It is through back doors and this is risky,” he said.

He added that their continued closure has affected the youth who are the bulk of the workers in salons and spas.

“We have over 1.5 million salons and spas in the country and they employ mostly young people. For four months now, we have not been able to feed our families, neither can we pay rent. We need help to get back to business,” he said.

The association spokesperson, Ms Christine Nakasiga, said the Association is willing to train all salon operators on the standard operating procedures, once they are re-opened.

“Government should provide us with the operating procedures for salon operators. We are ready to follow them,” she said.

Kadaga, who recognised the salon and spa operators for their efforts in making people look good as well as creating employment, pledged to forward their issues to the National Covid-19 Task Force and President Yoweri Museveni.

“I do sympathise with what has happened and although we have this pandemic, as a country, we should be trying find ways of facilitating our people to work but also to be safe,” she said.