[ad_1]
MAYENNE, France (Reuters) – Marc Mauny was so eager to reopen his hair salon after nearly two months of lockdown that he opened the doors at midnight Monday and quickly received his first client.
As France struggled to stem the spread of the new coronavirus, Mauny’s salon in Mayenne, some 270 km (167 miles) west of Paris, had to close under a government order that allowed only food stores, Tobacconists and pharmacies continue to operate.
A scheme to gradually ease restrictions means that starting May 11, other businesses can now reopen, provided they take security measures.
“I’m going to cut my hair, I’m going to welcome people,” he said, just after opening. “Wow, I really want to.”
Beauty salons anticipate an avalanche of clients who have been waiting weeks to get ready or who need a professional to repair the damage caused by a haircut done by yourself in your home.
Most of the stores that reopened on Monday were maintained during normal business hours. No mauny. “I like to be the first,” he said.
Her first post-closure client, Caroline Corbeau, was ready for a new haircut. “I really needed it. It was great to have this opportunity,” he said.
She and Mauny both wore face masks, and the seat and armrests of the barber chair were covered in protective plastic.
Mauny said that beyond providing a service, he wanted to send a message of hope.
“I think there is a page of history that is going on. There has been the Spanish flu, there has been the Hong Kong flu, cholera, the plague, now we have the coronavirus,” he said. “We don’t know where we are going, but we are going there, we have to be positive.”
(Reporting by Stephane Mahe; Writing by Christian Lowe; Writing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
[ad_2]
