Many citizens have complained about the lack of adequate supervision on barbershops and beauty salons, encouraging them to serve customers carelessly in total disregard to regulations, the local daily Al-Bilad reported. Customers are concerned about the low level of hygiene and cleanliness of shaving tools used at barbershops. They expressed fears of unsterilized shaving tools transmitting to them infectious diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS. They urged Jeddah Municipality to strictly monitor barbershops in the city. They said this has been a major health issue for quite sometime and the municipality's efforts are not enough to contain public's concern. Wearing masks by barbers is very important to prevent the spread of respiratory diseases. It is also important not to use the same shaving tools and scissors for different customers because such negligence can result in the transmission of several blood-borne diseases according to medical experts. "The municipality plays a major role in supervising barbershops. Its inspectors go around checking on shaving tools to ensure that they meet the quality standards. In case of any infraction, they would warn the individual in charge and force him to buy sterilized tools," stated by Ahmad Abdulgaffar, a barbershop owner. "Some barbershops do not respect the municipality's instructions in sterilizing shaving tools. This actually caused me to have dermatophyte infection, a pathogenic fungus that grows on the skin, mucous membranes, hair, nails, feathers and other body surfaces, causing ringworms and related diseases. It is due to the lack of cleanliness as well as the failure to sterilize shaving tools," said Ahmad Al-Zubaidi, a citizen. It is therefore very important for the municipality to double its efforts in supervising the barbershops to prevent serious diseases or infections from getting transmitted to other citizens, he said. "I had a dermatophyte infection on my neck due to the failure by my barber to sterilize his shaving tools. Since then, I am buying my own shaving tools every time I go to any barbershop. In fact, there are certain barbershops in Al-Rawabi district located next to the municipality where the workers do not bother to wear clean clothes while serving customers. Obviously the shaving tools they use will not be properly cleaned. All of this is the result of the lack of monitoring by the municipality," explained Mutaib Al-Buqami, a citizen. Emphasizing the point, Muhammad Al-Shammari said he was afflicted by dermatophyte infection after his first visit to a barbershop in Al-Rawabi district. Many other citizens demanded the municipality get serious and strictly monitor the barbershops and their tools. Many citizens buy their own shaving tools as they are scared of catching serious diseases through barbershops. They also believe that many barbershops violate the municipality's quality standards and instructions and do not use tools prescribed by the municipality. Instead, they keep them in the shops to avoid fines and other penal action in case the municipal inspectors come for their routine rounds.
