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Israelis flocked to hair salons and beauty parlors on Sunday after nearly two months of enforced closures put most of the country's beauty industry on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Health Ministry Director-General Moshe Bar Siman Tov joined his compatriots’ choice of destination and visited a hair salon himself.
Taking to Facebook, Bar Siman Tov wrote: “Finally, and after many weeks, I went this morning to get a haircut at Chaim the barber.”
A smiling Sharon Konopny, owner of NOK Beauty Salon in Tel Aviv, said she was very excited to finally reopen after a month of a half of confinement at home.
"It's good to be back, these weren't simple times. We were closed for a month and a half. We opened early in the morning and were immediately showered with demands of customers," said Konopny.
"The phone hasn't stopped ringing and it is good to know that we have the customers' trust. We already had dozens of customers calling us since Saturday evening, everybody's waiting to paint their nails already," she said.
"I'm not sure it's profitable opening under the current restrictions. But we are doing this with great love," the salon owner said.
"We've compiled instructions and have said we'll follow the most stringent ones. Fortunately, the place is very big, so we can employ many girls here and have more customers than smaller parlors. We keep our distance, wear protection and have individual make-up for each customer. We have taken protection to the maximum possible."
The government gave the green light to gradually ease restrictions Saturday night, including the reopening of most local businesses.
The peak of new coronavirus infections has long diminished as the Health Ministry reported only 150 new cases of infection Sunday morning.
According to the ministry, there are currently 99 COVID-19 patients on ventilators - the lowest number of intubated patients since April 3.
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Stall owners clash with police in Jerusalem over the ongoing closure of Mahane Yehuda market
(Photo: Ron Yarkoni)
Meanwhile, protests across the country ramped up as merchants in Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda Market clashed with police forces Sunday over its continued closure.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion said he “supports the merchants and strengthens their resolve” amid their demand to reopen the market.