A man bakes bread for customers at a restaurant in Al-Mubarakiya market in Kuwait City, Kuwait, Aug. 18, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)
KUWAIT CITY, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait has entered its fourth stage of returning to normal life where businesses such as tailors, beauty and hairdressing salons, health clubs, restaurants and cafes resumed their activities after five months of closure.
Streets of Kuwait were crowded with citizens and residents after these places reopened their doors for customers, taking into account the health requirements.
Magda Mahmoud, a hairdresser who is specialized in dyeing and styling women's hair, told Xinhua that she almost danced in joy after the government permitted barbershops and women salons to reopen.
Mahmoud, mother of three, is a Lebanese who has been living in Kuwait for 20 years.
"I has suffered from a great financial crisis since March due to the closure of salon, which cost all my savings to survive," she told Xinhua.
Wearing face masks is obligatory in the salon, which is located in Salmiya area in Hawalli Governorate, and employees and customers must remain social distancing to avoid coronavirus infection by separating chairs.
"Customers will be received according to a prior appointment system, while we will not provide some services such as the Moroccan bath currently in order to care about the health of the clients," Um Ahmed, the salon's owner, told Xinhua.
"Also, we asked customers to provide us with their own nail-cleaning equipment to enhance safety measures and encourage women to come," she said.
Afaf Akram, one of the customers, expressed her eagerness to visit the salon after the resumption of its activities, saying that her hair turned gray during the closure.
"I completely trust this salon that I knew for 10 years in applying health requirements and measures. Otherwise I would not have come today," she said with a smile.
Meanwhile, Saad Al-Fadhli, a 35-year-old Kuwaiti sports lover, did not hesitate to go back to his gym where he had been training for years.
He told Xinhua that he spent an hour training hard using all sports equipment.
"Exercising is my oxygen, I came as fast as I can today to join back and I felt great that my gym has taken all the precautionary measures and social distancing among the trainees and athletes," he noted.
According to the health requirements, most gyms and barbershops apply an appointment reservation system to avoid any crowds.
Tailor shops also resumed their work with strict precautionary measures, while 50 percent of the employees of the government and private sectors have returned to their offices, waiting for the start of the implementation of the fifth and final phase of the government's plan to resume life normally.
On Aug. 18, Kuwait moved into the fourth phase of its five-phase plan to return to normal life. During this phase, salons, gyms, barbershops, tailors, and spas will reopen and restaurants will offer more services.
Kuwait on Tuesday reported 643 new COVID-19 cases and three more deaths, raising the tally of infections to 77,470 and the death toll to 505, according to the Health Ministry.