PETALING JAYA: Members of the beauty and wellness industry are pleading with the government to allow them to resume their services for states in Phase Two onwards of the National Recovery Plan (NRP).

       The Malaysia Affiliation of Nail Salons Industry (Mani) committee said its members have not been able to operate since May this year and they are burdened with fixed costs including rent, salaries and utility expenses.

       “The never-ending lockdown has put our industry and livelihoods in shambles as we cannot survive until allowed to reopen in Phase Four of the NRP,” it said in a statement.

       “Thousands of us are struggling to make ends meet, particularly single mothers and young women who work to sustain themselves and their families.”

       The committee said more than 2,000 nail salons with over 10,000 manicurists, educators and suppliers in Malaysia have been affected.

       “As we are unable to work from home, many nail salons have been forced to shut down while others have one foot in the grave.

       “A large number of us have depleted our savings to sustain our businesses while many have also resorted to generating different streams of income to stay afloat,” it added.

       Mani added that prior to the pandemic, nail salons had strictly adhered to standard operating procedures.

       “Many of our members have also taken the initiative to fully vaccinate themselves and their teams in preparation of the reopening.

       “We are suffering from the current situation and urge the government to hear our pleas to revise the classification of our services,” said the committee.

       Under Phase Two of the NRP, pedicure and manicure services have been listed as high-risk sectors and are only allowed to operate in Phase Four.

       In Kota Kinabalu, the same appeal was issued by the Malaysian Association of Wellness and Spa.

       The members hoped the wellness, spa and reflexology centres would be allowed to reopen in October, when Phase Three of the NRP is slated to be rolled out.

       Its president Dorothea Justin Moduying felt they have been sidelined as barbershops, hair salons and beauty centres have been operational in states under Phase Two.

       In a statement, she argued that the complementary and traditional medicine sectors like therapeutic, chiropractic and physiotherapy treatments involving physical touch have also been allowed to operate.

       These treatments, she stated, posed the same risks as the spa industry.

       “The spa sector has been placed in the ‘negative’ list since MCO 3.0, resulting in many of our members quitting the business.

       “As the government only planned to allow this sector to reopen in Phase Four of the NRP, our 433 members who are still struggling to maintain the business at this moment, will end up closing their businesses too,” she added.

       Dorothea said the members are prepared to take proactive measures to protect the health of clients by implementing the SOP issued by the authorities which includes mandating regular PCR tests for employees using their own funds, and investing in personal protective equipment gear, sanitisers and hygiene equipment at their business premises.“Our staff and therapists are fully vaccinated, ready to open,” she added.