Grenadian barber gets special Barbicide Covid-19 certification

by Curlan Campbell

• Salons and barbershops given green light to resume operations
• Thompson is more cognisant of sanitation of his practice going forward
• Thompson recommends industry professionals complete Barbicide online course

Salons and barbershops have been given the green light to resume operations, but this has come with challenges, as beauticians and barbers attempt to recover losses incurred due to the nationwide lockdown during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

One of those challenges is to ensure that patrons of salons and barbershops maintain physical distancing which will require a major change in their business practices and which will ultimately affect their revenue income. This was the reality faced by Kelvin “Crafty” Thompson, owner of Island Style Barbershop at Grand Anse.

“Covid-19 has diminished the ability of about 80% of my clientele to visit the barbershop because of the curfew hours and operational hours, as well as the stigma associated with the disease itself. I have had to continue paying rent for months while I could not work and implement protocols which expand my overall expenditures. Recovery is very low and I am basically operating at a loss with the hope of things getting better in the near future,” Thompson said.

Despite the obvious challenge for all professionals within the industry, Thompson worked quietly behind the scenes while awaiting the okay to resume operations. During that period, he completed an online course which allowed him to obtain Barbicide Covid-19 certification. “I became aware of the Barbicide Covid-19 training from watching updates on barbershops which were preparing to reopen in Europe and America and the protocols which they had to adhere to in order to pass health regulations,” he said.

This certification is very crucial for professional within the beauty industry to stop the spread of coronavirus while working with their clients. The course takes applicants through the highest current infection control standards in salons, spas, and barbershops.

Speaking on the training, Thompson said, “The training clarifies all aspects of virology and disease spread in the workplace and ways to protect and prevent them from either entering, being transmitted and if so means of conducting contact tracing and infectious diseases control to the highest level possible with the equipment at hand presently available.”

Thompson recommends that other professionals within the industry complete the online course to ensure the survival of their operations during these difficult times. “I would recommend the training to professionals in the beautification industry in Grenada to the fullest as it would help them to acquire a higher level of sanitisation and disinfection in their establishments, and enable their clients to return with a clearer perspective and a feeling of being protected during this time and for the future growth of the industry.”

Thompson is more cognisant of sanitation going forward and is confident that his clients’ safety from infectious diseases like Covid-19 will be assured.