Bahrain: Man gets 6 months in jail for running home coffee business

Cairo: A Bahraini court has issued a six-month jail sentence against a man on charges of illegally running a coffee business in his house in violation of the country’s measures against the spread of the novel coronavirus, a prosecution official.

The Minor Criminal Court has also ordered the convict to pay 3,000 Bahraini dinars in a fine, the official added.

Last month, the man was arrested for converting the courtyard of his house into a coffee shop and catering to customers, illegally serving them the shisha and drinks. He violated anti-virus precautions that limit the number of persons sitting at the same table to six and oblige availability of sterilisers, authorities said at the time.

Thirteen customers and a foreign attendant were also arrested for illegally gathering inside the makeshift café without wearing mandatory face masks.

The court has ordered the attendant to pay a fine of BD1,000 and his deportation, Al Watan newspaper reported, quoting a prosecution official.

The customers have also been ordered to pay a fine of BD1,000 each.

Bahrain last week started vaccinations against COVID-19 free of charge for its citizens and foreign residents.