Keep your haircut now in style with no fear of health hazards at Jeddah barbershops that have started to incorporate new health precautions for a safer, enjoyable, and cleaner 30-min at the barbershop. Jeddah Mayoralty has issued new health measures for barbershops to keep them clean of possible infectious diseases that one would think about whenever a barber brandishes a razor blade to shave. Jeddah Mayoralty held a symposium Tuesday to spread awareness among barbers of health hazards that might contaminate their work environments. Some 200 barbers and workers in the field attended the event to be more educated on preventing their work places from interacting with germs to create transmittable disease to unsuspecting customers. Dr. Basheer Abu Al-Najm, Director of the Shop Control Department, told the Saudi Gazette that they were impressed to find that some barbers, especially the Turkish and Egyptians, have a reasonable health background of their work environments. He added that the symposium focused on the different types of sterilization and tools used while cutting hair or shaving. “Barbers should dispose blades after first use by placing them in separate trash containers,” he advised barbers. Not only posing health hazards to customers, used blades might be a dangerous tool for cleaning workers who might stumble upon them accidentally, he said. “Our inspectors will report violating barbershops and we won't hesitate to fine them,” he told the Saudi Gazette. Answering a question whether the new regulations and measures would increase the prices of the services offered at Jeddah barbershops, Abu Al-Najm said the prices are left for the Ministry of Commerce to set. The lighter side of the symposium erupted when some Turkish and Egyptian barbers had a heated argument over who were the most professional barbers with the most hygienic environment: the Turkish or the Egyptians. Luckily no blades or scissors were used to argue the other party down. But your vote will count when you start visiting Jeddah barbershops operated by different expats. __
