What does a trained barber do for two months when his shop is shut down due to a pandemic?
"I did yardwork ... and watched barber videos," says Lac La Biche barber Omar Saleh, who is also a newlywed and said he and his wife have enjoyed the time together. Back in his shop on Thursday, Saleh enjoyed a busy opening day as Alberta's Health officials relaxed business closures as part of the province's planned relaunch program.
So — barber videos? Yup ... there's a Youtube channel for everything, and barbers are no exception, he joked, saying that the self-isolation and no-contact protocols of the COVID-19 pandemic might have kept his scissors in their holder, but he wanted to keep his skills sharp.
And it's a good thing he was ready — I"I've probably had around 50 people come in so far," he said on Thursday before noon. "Everybody's coming in pretty shaggy. It's been busy. They've been really anxious to get their hair done."
What can you expect?
With COVID protocols still enforced, Omar's Barber Shop only allows three customers inside the building at a time.
"When it's busy like this, you come inside, put down your name and phone number, then you can go outside and wait in your car if you want," said Saleh, explaining that he can either phone the next customer on the list or open his Main Street business front door and wave in the next person if they're waiting in their vehicle.
"It's different — but it works," he said.
Other differences to the way he was doing business before the COVID pandemic are visible as soon as a customer walks in.
"I've got a mask on and protective gloves," he told the POST, adding that health code regulations don't mandate customers to wear a mask — but they can if they feel more comfortable.
Saleh changes his gloves after each client and wipes down the surfaces of the shop after each visit.
Advice from the busy barber to anyone looking to get their their hair back under control after weeks of COVID-caused neglect? Plan ahead and be prepared to perhaps wait just a little longer to get their locks lopped.
"Go with the flow. Don't panic," he said, also giving similar advice for other businesses opening their doors officially this week after a two-month closure, "Take it easy. You're not going to get ahead by stressing and rushing."
All Lac La Biche and area barber shops and salons were allowed to open their doors to customer traffic on Thursday. The easing of the essential service restrictions also includes restaurants and bars, museums, clothing stores and farmers' market vendors.
For details on the second phase of the government's relaunch plan, click here
