Well not pub/cafe, but as part of the new normal I had my hair cut for the first time since March. And if this is the “new normal” I hate it.
First I need to say that the arrangements made by the hairdresser’s / barber’s shop were exemplary - hand sanitation for everyone on entry, PPE for the staff, masks worn by every customer, name and number taken, lots of cleaning between customers, social distancing while waiting, screens between chairs, no cash, etc. All excellent.
BUT, after nearly four months of being “conditioned” to believe everyone outside our immediate household is a potential virus spreading machine, I found the close personal contact that is a necessary part of having a hair cut extremely uncomfortable. There is just no way, when it comes to scissors and clippers, that some contact (even if through disposable gloves, etc) can be avoided. All I wanted to do at the end of it was to rush home and have a very long, hot shower.
Don;t get me wrong, my hair looks 1000 times better and on that basis it was worth it, but I found it a very uncomfortable experience. Hopefully I’ll get over it if hairdressers are proven not to be the sources of covid outbreaks in the next two or three weeks. Right now, I feel like I need to go to the pub for a beer or two to help me get over the hair cut!