When Nigeria announced its index case of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) late in February 2020, Tara Fela-Durotoye says her first reaction was to panic and shut down all of House of Tara's over 20 stores across the country.

House of Tara is a beauty and makeup giant set up in 1998, and is a leading veteran in Nigeria's beauty industry.

Tara told Pulse Voices the panic that informed the shutdown decision was due to how physically interactive the beauty industry is.

"If anything happened to staff, the business would not be able to continue," she said.

As the world continues to navigate a crisis that doesn't appear to have an imminent end, Tara says things have to change, especially in the beauty industry.

The novel coronavirus disease was first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019, and has since infected over 6.4 million people across the world, killing over 378,000.

As of June 1, Nigeria has recorded 10,578 cases in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, with 299 fatalities.

Measures taken by governments around the world to contain the spread of the respiratory illness included partial or complete lockdowns which restricted movements and interrupted social and economic activities.

As a result of the restrictions, many states in Nigeria were in partial or complete lockdown throughout most of April, and some parts of May.

With many of such restrictions getting eased in Nigeria, even as cases continue to rise, Tara says the industry has to operate by a new set of rules to protect businesses and clients.

She said beauty studios must make it mandatory that staff protect themselves as much as possible with masks, face shields, goggles, gloves, and overalls before they deal with clients who must also wear as much protection as possible.

She said, "We work with workstation as makeup artists, and one of the things we're going to be doing is to ensure that every workstation has a disposable cloth, and we use surface disinfectant as well throughout the entire time that the client is on that workstation. 

"This protocol will also be carried over to homes where we encourage our customers to buy their own professional makeup brushes, and products. 

"So, if you want to have your makeup done, you have to have your own special products that the makeup artist can use, and you'll have to have the type of brushes."

She encouraged less-established makeup artists who are freelancing to also adopt these safety measures and prioritise caution.

Tara noted that one of the worst ways the coronavirus has hit the beauty industry is putting a stop to all the big social events, especially weddings, where its services are always needed on a constant basis.

"That entire value chain that we as a business and as an industry used as a leverage has just suddenly disappeared," she said.

However, with the economy steadily resuming, she believes the beauty industry will regain footing because it services a gender that needs to feel beautiful.

She said, "Women will always desire to look great. Makeup is not just about beauty but also about psychology. 

"As much as we still have those feelings where women want to look dolled up and beautiful, we'll always still be relevant."

The entrepreneur further remarked that even though House of Tara has always had a strong online presence, it had never leveraged heavily enough on it until the coronavirus pandemic forced the brand to see new opportunities.

She advised industry players to collectively ensure that a new culture is created where the entire industry's value chain is not completely tied to big events and parties, but also leveraged by the use of technology to serve clients.