Shisha, smoking areas in Dubai to reopen tomorrow

Dubai: Shisha and smoking areas in public places in Dubai will be allowed to reopen from Saturday (July 18), subject to their adherence to precautionary measures, Dubai Municipality has announced.

In a tweet on Friday, the municipality said it has issued all necessary precautionary measures for these places to reopen starting July 18 until further notice. It said regular inspections will be conducted to ensure compliance.

Back in March, Dubai Municipality and Dubai Economic Department ordered the closure of cafés as part of the measures to stop the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19).

Based on the municipality's external circular,  34 regulations and safety protocols have been listed for the reopening of shisha cafes. Some of them are:

Staff should wear face masks at all times

Cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces must be done at least every hour.

All staff and guests must go through temperature screening before entering the establishment.

The humber of customers must be managed and a two-metre physical distancing must be enforced between tables.