JEDDAH — The Jeddah Municipality has started applying a smoking ban in cafes, restaurants and public places, with inspectors enforcing the ban. The municipality can fine flouters of the ban up to SR5,000 and even close down their businesses after repeat offenses, according to powers given by the Ministry of Interior and Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs. Adel Batati, assistant secretary of divisional municipalities and shops, said the ban covers all restaurants, cafes, hotels and public places as part of a campaign to improve public health. The municipality, he said, will distribute brochures warning all shops and restaurants that inspectors will start checking for any violations. In July, Saudi Arabia banned smoking in government offices and most public places including restaurants, coffee shops, supermarkets and shopping malls. The ban also covers shisha and prohibits the sale of tobacco to those under 18. Prince Ahmed Bin Abdul Aziz, Minister of Interior, ordered the public ban on smoking to be implemented in July but the municipality only started taking action from the beginning of this week. Fadi Baidoon, a supervisor at Balsamico café in Tahliya Street, said municipality inspectors recently visited the café with an official letter stating that from Saturday they will start visiting the cafes and restaurants to ensure the ban on serving shisha was strictly implemented. “According to the ban, smoking cigarettes and water pipes are prohibited. We are still not sure if they will allow it outdoors later,” he said. Baidoon said half of the profit of the business is from shisha. Allowing smoking outdoors will help business, he said. “We will remove all shisha pipes on Thursday or Friday but we heard from another café that we have up to a month before the penalty system takes effect,” he said. Fadi Harab, public relations manager at B-Concept, a company that owns a chain of restaurants around the city, said they have already stopped serving shisha indoors but they are not yet clear on whether they can keep serving it outdoors. “This (the ban) will definitely affect business. They can have smoking and non-smoking areas to solve this issue. People will stop going to cafes if they can't smoke,” he said. Another Jeddah café official said they have already prohibited indoors and outdoors smoking since Monday. “We received instructions from the municipality and we tell our customers seeking reservations that we don't serve shisha or allow smoking of any kind,” he said. Although a smoking ban would probably reduce the number of smokers in Jeddah, some people believe it is a matter of personal choice, especially as there are not many entertainment outlets in the country. Lamees Attiah, who works in Jeddah, said the decision is unfair to those who smoke. She said: “When I go out with my friends we prefer somewhere with shisha. It has become part of our outings in the city. There is nothing else to do here other than cafes.” Also, fellow resident Dareen thinks the municipality should at least permit smoking outdoors even if the weather is humid. She said: “Going out with my friends on weekends has become part of our routine and shisha and cigarettes are a major part of it. We can do it inside our houses but we do want to enjoy our time outside.” Saudi statistics say the country is the world's fourth largest importer of tobacco and that six million Saudis spend about SR30 million a day on cigarettes. Rayan Karkadan, a 23-year-old health coach, believes that freedom to smoke is important as long as it does not affect other people's personal space.
