Abutbol's request is that Cohen grant an exception to the non-essential business closure to the barbershop industry. Currently, Cohen's order prevent barbershops from opening and doing business until after Pesach - at which point I assume the situation will be re-evaluated in general and restrictions will be either lifted, left in place or even possibly made stricter. I think the danger in opening barbershops is obvious, with customers in close proximity to each other and to the barbers, the threat of spreading COVID-19 is significant.Abutbol wants barbershops excepted because after Pesach people who keep Torah and mitzvos have the custom of not getting haircuts, to commemorate the death of Rabbi Akiva's students (ironically, who may have died of a plague). If barbershops cannot open between now and Pesach, and then people can't get haircuts for 5 or more weeks (as some wait all the way until Shvuos), that is too much time to be reasonable and would be a burden on the people who normally rush to get haircuts before Pesach, before the Omer customs set in.
From the perspective of people needing haircuts, it seems like a reasonable request. Going at least 3 weeks now, plus at least another 5 weeks, is a long time to go with no haircut for most people. From the perspective of the risk of helping CoronaVirus spread, the haircut seems petty and unimportant. And some/many people can cut their own hair at home if they really need to before the holiday.
Maybe a better solution would be asking the Chief Rabbis, either Rabbi Lau or Rabbi Yosef or both, to give an allowance for people to get haircuts after Pesach, during the Omer, when necessary, due to the extenuating circumstances combined with the danger of COVID. They already gave an allowance for weddings during the Omer because of COVID, maybe they can do the same for haircuts.
Covid Habriyos, pun intended, is a serious thing, though I am not sure it is more important than a health danger.
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