For barber Xiong Juan, a recent easing of restrictions in the city of Wuhan, epicenter of China’s coronavirus outbreak, means she is now busier than ever.
Chinese barber has clients queuing up as Wuhan eases lockdown
The 39-year-old spends her day riding her electric bicycle outdoors and offering her services to local residents, who like her were stuck at home after authorities ordered a lock down of the city of 11 million people in early January.
"I wanted to shave it before the Chinese New Year, but suddenly the lockdown began so I didn't get to do it," said one client who only gave his surname as Ren as Xiong carefully trimmed his hair with a pair of clippers.
Like millions of people in China, Xiong was forced to stop working at a hairdressing salon after it shut due to government curbs to stem the spread of the virus, which as of Sunday has infected 81,470 and killed 3,304 in mainland China, mostly in Wuhan.
She stayed indoors to take care of her two children, but decided to start venturing out three weeks ago after being encouraged by her father.
The additional income after being off work for such a long time was also a factor.