Covid 19 coronavirus: Too much! Midnight Mass as barbers back in business

Hairdressers are buzzing when they returned to work at midnight, buoyed by the sight of loyal customers queuing on the street as the country moved to Alert Level 2.

More than a dozen people were waiting patiently in line at Birkenhead Avenue to get their hair cut early today.

Under Alert 2 New Zealand is back in business, with stores, shopping malls, cafes and restaurants authorized to reopen.

Among those near the front of the barber’s row were Naz Wallace, 18, and Will Morton, 17.

Morton said, “Why wouldn’t you?

“It seemed like a good idea about an hour ago, it seemed like the key word.”

He is eager to finally remove the locks from his eyes.

Corbin Harkness, 17, could be the first to get a new cut.

“I’ve been waiting a long time. I was going to get one the day they closed.
“Why not get involved and do it?”

Her father Philip Harkness said they had come to Barbershop Co since they opened and wanted to support the locals.

Harkness said it was exciting to sneak off and do something.

He said that haircuts at the barber were always good, but today it doesn’t matter what is considered 10/10.

The first order through the box would have been $ 95: Harkness paid $ 35 for his own haircut and $ 30 for each of his boys.

Kae Condon, head of the Birkenhead Village Town Center Association, told the Herald that security for the event, which involves three different stores, had been arranged as a precaution.

If there was a large turnout, they may want help to ensure that all the rules on physical detachment are followed, he said.

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“It is just a precautionary measure because we all need to make sure that we are going forward and not backward.”

Earlybird customers will be able to choose from The Barber Shop Co, Bob the Barber and B & M Barbers when the stores open in unison.

The areas where people can stand in line have already been recorded and will help people know where to stand to maintain a distance of two meters.

Jazz music will help entertain those who wait.

Once inside, it will not be the experience you are used to: hairdressers should put on the appropriate protective equipment and minimize contact as much as possible.

But it will surely provoke many smiles behind the masks because all the barbers shot down their tools a long time ago when the country went into closure.

“The boys have said we will reduce until there are no more clients,” said Condon.

They expect a peak of interest around midnight, he said.

“I would be very surprised if there were people around at 3 in the morning, but you don’t know how badly people could want a haircut.”

“There are many wild and woolly men.”

If the barbers run out of clients, they’ll take a break before reopening at 6 am, he said.

Condon wanted to thank from the bottom of his heart the followers who were leaving.

“We love you,” he said.

“We still want to be here to serve the community for another 10 years and they are making it possible by voting with their feet.”

All three stores are located at 80 Mokoia Rd, 202 Hinemoa St and 1 Birkenhead Ave.

• Covid19.govt.nz – The official government Covid-19 advisory website