The Ministry of Health (MOH) still does not allow barber shops to operate under the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) even though in open areas.

Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said this was following reports from countries including Japan and the United States (US) on COVID-19 infections among barbers and clients.

However, he said, the MOH was monitoring the development of positive cases before proposing to the government to open other sectors including barber shops.

“So, we are monitoring this matter carefully before we allow it, perhaps in stages.

"We have allowed relaxation in the CMCO starting on May 4. We hope within two weeks we will monitor the progress of cases whether they are improving or not before we open other sectors, for example barber shops and so on.

"So, we will monitor and advise accordingly in the near future," he said at a daily press conference here today.