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Dubai: The Municipality will be cracking down on shisha cafes that do not comply with anti-smoking laws by the end of the year.
Cafes have had nearly a year to move to new premises if their floor area is smaller than stipulated in the new regulations.
Since the smoking ban rules were introduced for restaurants and cafes on November 18 last year, approximately 25 restaurants have been fined Dh5,000 to Dh10,000.
Current regulations state that buildings should be 1,500 sq ft, and those that are smaller than this will have to move to bigger premises if they wish to continue selling shisha or allow smoking.
Salem Bin Mesmar, Assistant Director-General, Dubai Municipality, Health, Safety and Environment Control Sector said: "We do not like shisha in Dubai and we're concentrating on this. We have given cafes until the end of the year to follow the new conditions. If they think that by the end of this year we are not going to do anything, no, they have to know that we are serious about it. If we have to close them down, we will."
Mindset
Zuhoor Al Sabbagh, Director of Public Health Services Department, confirmed that cafes had been reminded of the regulations by letter. Shisha cafes in residential areas have been asked to relocate.
Mesmar confirmed the ultimate goal was to provide education to encourage people to give up smoking.
"We are trying to change the mindset. Human behaviour is such that you have to implement this strongly. We have to educate them and squeeze them into corners, so there is nowhere to smoke and then they stop."
A team of inspectors is also visiting grocery stores on a daily basis to ensure stickers informing customers of the under-20 cigarette sales ban are being displayed.
Selling cigarettes to under-20s was banned at the end of May.
He also confirmed there were no plans at this time to move cigarettes from behind cash counters.
Dubai Municipality has announced the fourth phase of its programme to ban smoking in public areas. The new regulations target "entertainment and recreation places," which includes snooker halls and internet cafes.
The municipality signed an MoU with Dubai Sports Council to implement this phase in public sporting areas, including youth clubs.
Venues wishing to have a smoking area should apply for a licence from the Department of Economic Development and need to be no less then 2,000 sq ft and have a playing area of 1,500 sq ft.
Stop sale in stores
Dubai Municipality has said its ultimate goal is to ban the sale of cigarettes from grocery stores.
Salem Bin Mesmar, Assistant Director-General, DM, Health, Safety and Environment Control Sector, said: "We hope at one stage that cigarettes will not be sold in at least grocery stores. Stopping supermarkets selling big cartons is not under discussion yet. It is a good idea, but our programme just started officially nine months to one year ago; you have to give us some time."
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