Sydney lawyer Greg Heathcote and investment banker David Rabinowitz had the same urgent order of business to start the week on Monday: a haircut.

It was the first day both men — and 6 million other people — could get their locks trimmed since Australia’s most populous city on Monday exited more than three months of lockdown.

"It really is an essential service,” Rabinowitz said as he sat in his barber’s chair. "This is the most important thing for the day.”