COVID-19: Dubai shuts two shisha cafes in Al Quoz

Dubai: Authorities have shut down two shisha cafes and issued fines to five others for not following COVID-19 precautionary measures.

Dubai Municipality said that the coffee shops ordered to close down were both located in Al Quoz, and had failed to comply with the precautionary measures.

On Sunday, Dubai Municipality inspected 2,258 establishments by the authority, out of which 46 received warnings, and violations were registered against five.

As many as 2,205 establishments were found in compliance with the municipality’s guidelines.

Precautionary measures

The municipality requires all cafes in Dubai to take precautionary measures that should be followed when serving shishas. These measures include a commitment of the shisha service employees to wash hands before and after providing the service, measuring the temperature of the employees, workers, and visitors before entering the facility, and not allowing those who show symptoms of temperature above 37.5 to enter the site.

The facility’s management should allocate an isolation room, and establish procedures for dealing with suspected or confirmed cases of COVID-19, in addition to disinfection procedures, according to the directives of Dubai Municipality and Dubai Health Authority. All parts of the shisha, including pipes, must be cleaned and disinfected before and after each user.

Single use shisha pipes

The municipality stressed the need to provide single-use shisha pipes only. The shisha must be washed and disinfected deeply and the water used must be changed after each user, and it is not allowed to test the shisha by employees before offering to the customer, and the frequency of hygiene and disinfection must be increased in smoking areas.

Coffee shops must also provide containers at all main entrances and in common areas for medical waste such as masks and gloves. Hand sanitisers must also be provided for in different areas of the café.