Barber invents safety shield to protect customers from coronavirus

June 10 (UPI) -- A New Jersey barber preparing to reopen his shop invented a shield designed to keep salon workers and their customers safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Edwin Ramirez, owner of 201 Stylez in Union City, said he is awaiting approval from the state before reopening his shop, but in the meantime he has been installing "Shields on Wheels" inside the business.

The invention is a movable plexiglass shield with a cutout large enough for barbers to fit their hands and tools through while cutting or styling a customer's hair.

"I started putting pieces together, and I said, you know what this can be? The thing that's essential for barbers," Ramirez told WPVI-TV.

Ramirez, who came up with the idea while working at the carpentry shop he owns, said he has been making about 30 of the shields per day and he is selling them to barbershops and hair salons for $300 each.