Afshin, The Hairstylist

Afshin is a hairstylist with more than nine years of experience. He is thirty years old and lives in Tehran. He finally afforded to have his own Salon in a small apartment, and typically earns a wage of ten million Iranian tomans ($588) a month. The outbreak of coronavirus in Iran coincided with the Iranian new year holiday, which is one of the most profitable times for the barbershop industry. Despite his wife’s fear for his safety and her insistence that he must have closed the shop, he has to work to provide for their daily needs as well as for the lease payment on his barbershop.

Afshin has planned some safety measures to protect his health along with his customers such as: calling his customers and making reservations for them in advance to avoid his workplace being crowded, making mask-wearing mandatory for his customers, wearing masks and gloves himself at all times, and finally sanitizing all his stuff and work area with disinfectants continuously. Though the fear of getting infected with the coronavirus has dramatically decreased his customers, he is absolutely keen on saving his business.