No hair or beauty salon will be allowed to reopen until an official certificate from the Regional Medical Officer is obtained, said Director General of Health Services, Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

A certificate attesting that all hygiene procedures and safety guidelines that are to be issued by health authorities are followed by the particular salon can be obtained by the Regional Medical Officer.

The Director-General of Health Services issued this statement in response to the certain misinformation spread through media reports that these institutions will be given the opportunity to reopen for business just by following the health instructions given to the general public.

The instructions for reopening the hair salons and beauty salons are to be issued soon under the signature of the Director-General of Health Services.

Once the guidelines are issued, they should be collected from the respective Medical Officer of Health, and ensure that the salon structure and service facilities are in line with the instructions given.

Subsequently, the Public Health Inspector of the area will inspect the arrangements against and provide his recommendation to the Medical Officer of Health. Considering this recommendation, a certificate of approval to reopen the salon will be issued by the Medical Officer of Health. 

The Director-General of Health emphasizes that no beauty salon or hair salon in the country should be opened without this certificate.

Relevant parties may contact the following individuals for clarifications:

Dr. Lakshmana Gamlath, Deputy Director-General, Environmental Health, Occupational Health, and Food Safety - 071 772 3232
Janaka Suneth Bandara - 071 432 7387