Barbers and hairdressers eagerly wait to see if business will return with Alert Level 2

After six weeks at home, plenty of Kiwis will be queuing up for haircuts, once the activity is allowed again.

It's one of the most talked about topics of Level 3 and 4 lockdown: Just when can we get a haircut?

And it's a question we're likely soon to have an answer to, with the Government announcing what Level 2 restrictions should look like tomorrow afternoon.

"I've had a lot of people asking, 'When can you cut my hair?' and it's like, 'Well, when can we open,'" says Bloke barbershop co-owner Keri O'Connor.

Since closing their doors on March 25, doors have remained shut at salons and barbers across New Zealand for nearly six weeks.

It's meant a loss of income and future uncertainty for thousands across the country.

"I think the first day of going in to lockdown, it was sitting down and going, 'Financially, what are our bills that are going out for the next month?" Moha salon co-owner Nelson Morrison says.

Despite the hard times, both he and his wife, Kylie Hayes, say they can't wait to finally re-open.

"This is all I know, this is what I love. And to be told that you can't do something that you love, that was a hard adjustment for me," Ms Hayes says.

It's unclear at this stage what restrictions salons and barbers will be allowed to operate under in Level 2.

If it is allowed to open, Dunedin's Bloke barbershop won't be taking walk-in appointments anymore. Instead, everyone will have to book online for easy contact tracing.

Things like beard trims and wet shaves will also be off the menu, due to the close face to face contact.

Whatever the restrictions, the Government will announce Monday afternoon just when the country will move to Level 2.

A trim is likely not too far round the corner for those desperate for a cut. But perhaps more importantly, a somewhat return to normality for those trying to tame our wild manes.

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