UAE | Health
Closure of restaurant in UAE over swine flu fears denied
Municipal authorities have denied the shut-down of any fast food outlet in the country for reasons related to H1N1.
- By Abdullah Rasheed, Abu Dhabi Editor
- Published: 16:53 June 16, 2009
Dubai/Abu Dhabi: Municipal authorities have denied the shut-down of any fast food outlet in the country for reasons related to H1N1.
An SMS has been going round since yesterday that a well-known fast food outlet was closed down after one staff member was found to have H1N1.
Mohammad Jalal Al Rayaysa, Director of the Public Relations and Communications Department at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority, assured that none of the fast food outlets have been closed down in Abu Dhabi or any other emirate. He told Gulf News what is in the SMS is just a rumour and if there was any related issue, it will be announced in coordination with the Health Ministry and the National Committee for combating H1N1.
He said the evidence that what is in the SMS is a rumour is the fact that scientifically, it is known that H1N1 virus does not spread through cooked food as the virus tends to die at a certain temperature. He said the SMS is just to spread panic among people. He called on the public not to believe rumours and call toll free 800 555 in any emergency and to verify such information.
The Food Control Department of Dubai Municipality also denied the closure of any fast food outlet for reasons related to H1N1.
A source at the department told Gulf News that the municipality has followed up the story since yesterday. He described the news of closing a restaurant, which spread through SMS in English and Arabic, as a baseless and vicious rumour that aims to spread confusion among people.
The source urged citizens and residents not to believe such rumours, especially those related to H1N1, and to resort to the right source for information on the disease, which is the hotlines announced by the UAE National Emergency Response Committee to combat H1N1.
He said the department knew about the rumour from the beginning but preferred not to respond so as not to blow it out of proportion.
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