A haircut in Tamil Nadu won't be possible without an Aadhaar card amid the coronavirus pandemic. Reason: contact-tracing. Those visiting salons and beauty parlours in the state will have to give their Aadhaar number before getting a haircut, a pedicure or any other grooming service, according to the government.
These businesses should keep a record of the customers who visit them, the government said, and since Aadhaar has phone number, address and biometrics embedded, it would be easier to trace people if someone is found infected with coronavirus.
"This will help us in contact-tracing if a customer or a worker was found positive," Relief Commissioner J Radhakrishnan told NDTV.
Salons and beauty parlours reopened in the state, the second worst-hit by the pandemic in India, on May 24 after the centre eased the lockdown a bit. But they remained closed in state capital Chennai, where the cases are high, till Monday when they were allowed to open under the centre's new "Unlock 1" guidelines that seeks to bring India out of the lockdown safely and in phases.
Mr Radhakrishnan has asked the Greater Chennai Corporation and district collectors to ensure that all grooming businesses follow the order to take the Aadhaar numbers, names and addresses of their customers.
A seven-page standard operating procedure or SOP released on Monday made it a must for these businesses to install hand-washing devices or at least keep hand sanitisers for use by customers and staff.
The SOP also says blades cannot be reused and paper tissues given to customers should be disposed of safely. Headbands and towels used on one customer should not be reused on another before it is washed.
Tamil Nadu today reported over 1,000 coronavirus cases for a third day in a row. A large number of them or 806 cases were reported from Chennai. The state has so far reported a total of 24,586 cases and 197 deaths.
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