In the span of 16 hours, 51-year-old Zakari only had time to eat one date.

That sums up his hectic experience on May 12 — the first day barbers and hairdressing shops were allowed to open after more than two weeks of closure.

It was also the 19th day of Ramadan, and Zakari ended his first day back in business with a slightly empty stomach.

He told Mothership that due to his busy schedule, he could only break fast with a date.

More than twice the number of customers

Zakari told us that every hour, customers just kept streaming into his Zack Neighbourhood Barber shop at Bedok North Road.

His shop received more than 50 customers, a significantly higher number than usual.

When Mothership visited his shop at around 10:30pm, he was still busy sweeping the floor.

Nevertheless, Zakari took it all in his stride.

Despite the hectic schedule, and little time to rest, he remains optimistic and hopes his business will remain busy in the coming days.

Waist pain

50-year-old Zhang Xiu Zhen, who works at YFK Unisex Salon (Bedok North Street 4), was also greeted by "non-stop customers".

Zhang told Mothership that her shop had over 80 customers that day.

At one point, one of her colleagues developed a pain in her waist after standing for too long.

She eventually resorted to sitting on a chair while cutting the customers' hair.

Large crowds spotted at barbershops across Singapore

Other barbershops that accepted walk-in customers also suffered the same fate.

Long queues were a common sight around Singapore on May 12.

Barbershops that only accepted appointments were not spared from the chaos either.

The Golden Rule Barber's outlet at 66A Race Course Road was fully booked.

Spokesperson for The Golden Rule Barber, Yanto Sani, told Mothership:

"It has been a crazy and busy day... The appointments are back-to-back for all our barbers from opening to closing. There was no space and break in between and if there are customers who are late, the whole booking system will snowball."

"Stressed and anxious" about Covid-19

Yanto added that although the barbers in his shop were thankful they could earn a living again, they were also "stressed and anxious" about the current Covid-19 situation.

To tackle Covid-19 concerns, the government has made it mandatory for the stores to use the SafeEntry system.

Customers entering the shop will check-in using their NRIC, or their mobile phone to scan a QR code via the SingPass mobile app.

A few barbershops have also taken additional precautionary steps. One of them is Autocutt Barbershop.

Community manager for Autocutt Barbershop, Chris, said that his shop will conduct strict temperature screenings and limit a two-seat operation until the end of circuit breaker.

The shop turns away customers who have a temperature above 36.5 degrees.

"We feel sorry for those who waited for their slot, came all the way, and yet they can't get their haircut. But at the same time, we are doing our part to be safe for other customers," added Chris.

One barbershop Mothership spoke to, Hombre Barbers SG, decided not to open on May 12.

"We will only be starting operations tomorrow (May 13) because today we’re just gonna be tidying up the place and briefing the barbers for the new requirements! Like Mr Lawrence Wong said, we shouldn’t be in a rush to open."

Hair grooming is important

The people who were willing to queue up had eagerly come on the first day for a variety of reasons.

One man who was queuing for a haircut in Bedok told Mothership: "Normally, my hair is short. Now I feel very uncomfortable."

He added that he'd rather wait in a long queue instead of waiting another couple of days or weeks for a haircut.

85-year-old Mindef retiree, Raymond Wee, was also desperate to get his usual half-inch crew cut.

He said that he "cannot stand" his hair any longer as it was starting to itch.

The barbers themselves understand their customers' needs.

Yanto from The Golden Rule Barber told Mothership that there were many bookings made before Apr. 21 that were forced to be cancelled when the sudden closure of barbershops was announced.

"If these people had their last cut before 21st April, of course they will find the need to rush to the barbershop," he added.

Meanwhile, Chris from Autocutt Barbershop stated that their regular customers get their usual haircuts every three weeks, and thus would want to get their hair fixed as soon as possible.

Chris also explained:

"Hair grooming is important... it makes people feel fresh and look more energetic as a whole."

Top image by Rexanne Yap.