- Title: Siberian businessman self-isolates in hair and beauty salon
- Date: 10th April 2020
- Summary: VARIOUS OF SIMAKOV LOOKING AT PICTURES OF SON ON MOBILE PHONE, SAYING (Russian): "It's another world, another region, 20 minutes away by taxi."
- Embargoed: 24th April 2020 14:48
- Keywords: Barnaul COVID-19 Russian business Siberia coronavirus hair salon
- Location: BARNAUL, RUSSIA
- City: BARNAUL, RUSSIA
- Country: Russia
- Topics: Health/Medicine
- Reuters ID: LVA003C8WRHA1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Forty-two year-old businessman Pavel Simakov is self-isolating in his hair salon in the Siberian city of Barnaul over the coronavirus pandemic.
Once one of the largest employers in the city serving up to 400 clients a day, his business has ground to a halt because of the nationwide lockdown, forcing Simakov to make his 39 staff redundant and inform tax officials that his business has shut its doors.
He decided to stay in the salon rather than with his wife and young son to reduce the likelihood that any one of them would be infected by the virus.
Despite the difficult situation, Simakov is managing to stay positive. "It's better to sleep in your own hair salon than someone else's train station," he said.
With a fully-equipped kitchen, toiletries and sofas in the waiting room to sleep on, as well as a vast supply of disposable gloves and hand sanitiser, the businessman's 220 square-metre (2,368 square-foot) salon is certainly a more suitable place than a train station to camp out and weather the coronavirus storm.
The hair salon's former employees are making ends meet by working as taxi drivers, in a bread factory or as freelance hairdressers at home, Simakov said.
As for the business itself, Simakov predicts it can survive for up to three months under current circumstances.
(Production: Maria Vasilyeva, Peter Scott) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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