The competent authorities in the emirates of Dubai, Ajman, Ras al-Khaimah and Fujairah decided to prohibit the supply of hookah, as part of the precautionary measures to combat the emerging Corona virus, confirming the application of penalties for violators.
Yesterday, Dubai Economy and Dubai Municipality directed all the hookah cafes licensed in the emirate to refrain from providing them in their facilities, immediately, for a period of two weeks, starting yesterday, and confirmed that inspection campaigns will be implemented to verify compliance with this circular.
In turn, the Ajman Municipality and Planning Department issued yesterday an administrative decision regarding the temporary ban on providing hookahs to all hotel and tourist establishments, cafes and restaurants operating in the emirate. She said in a circular: “All owners of hotel and tourist establishments, cafes and restaurants operating in the emirate must stop the services of shisha immediately Another, while continuing to provide the rest of the services and accompanying activities, such as meals, cold and hot drinks, and the like.
The Ras Al Khaimah Municipality announced that it would stop providing hookahs in all facilities and cafes in the Emirate of Ras Al Khaimah from yesterday until further notice, out of its keenness to achieve precautionary measures and to ensure public health and safety.
Munther Bin Shukr Al Zaabi, Director General of Ras Al Khaimah Municipality, told Emirates Today: “Observers will be deployed to facilities and cafes in all areas of the emirate to ensure that the municipality’s instructions are applied, and if any facility that provides hookah to customers is seized, the law will be applied against it.” .
To that, the Fujairah municipality directed all hotel establishments, hookah cafes and licensed restaurants in the emirate to refrain from providing hookah in its facilities until further notice, confirming the implementation of inspection campaigns to verify compliance with this circular.
The Department of Economic Development in Abu Dhabi directed all hookah cafes licensed in the emirate and restaurants to refrain from providing hookah in its facilities immediately and urgently, and confirmed in a circular issued by it that intensive inspection campaigns will be implemented to verify compliance with the decision that comes within the precautionary measures to combat the Corona virus.
Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development Undersecretary Rashid Abdul Karim Al Balushi said: “The legislation in force will be applied in case of any violation of the circular and the continued provision of hookahs in any cafe or restaurant. Closing for specified periods, depending on the violation and its repetition ».
The «Emirates Today» recently published a report in which doctors warned of the transmission of viruses and microbes in cafes as a result of smoking hookah and the spread of thick smoke in closed places, and its use by a number of smokers, stressing that the hookah is a source of diseases, which makes its users vulnerable to viruses and chest diseases .