By Ben Garcia

KUWAIT:  Several workers of health clubs, salons and barbershops expressed gratitude over the Cabinet’s decision to allow their operations to continue amidst the growing number of coronavirus cases in the country. Normally, those sectors are the first to be closed, as workers deal with customers directly. This time, however, they were spared. The Cabinet only advised that people visiting salons, barbershops and health clubs must be fully vaccinated.

“From January 1, I was really thinking about my next move if authorities closed our business again,” said Bong, a manager of a health spa in Salmiya. “Our operations returned to normal after a long time. If they are disrupted again, I don’t know what to do, because our company doesn’t pay our salaries if we are not working. So now I can sleep well, thank God,” he said.

Coronavirus cases have soared to record highs of over 4,000 cases a day, so the Cabinet imposed a series of restrictions including cutting public sector employees’ attendance to a maximum of 50 percent and calling on the private sector to reduce staff in offices. Conferences, meetings and training courses can only be held online from today, according to the Cabinet. The Cabinet also decided that passengers on public transport must not exceed 50 percent, with strict implementation of health conditions, especially wearing facemasks.

Koring, who works at a salon in Salmiya, said relief is how she describes her feeling right now. “I am very happy. Honestly, I was not expecting a favorable decision from the Cabinet, because we are in a business where we work directly with customers. But to let us work is awesome. We need this job so we can sustain our loved ones,” she said.

Meanwhile, several public transport commuters also expressed gratitude to the Cabinet. “We were all expecting that the government will stop public transport to curb the coronavirus. Thank God they did not. We still have public transport and I can still ride a bus to my work and back,” said Melorey, a commuter who works at The Avenues mall and lives in Farwaniya. “Every day I go by bus; it’s cheaper and I can save money. My company gives KD 30 for transport, but I don’t use a taxi. I use the bus so I can save half of the amount given to me in transport allowance,” she said.