JEDDAH – Municipal authorities in Jeddah closed down 10 well-known restaurants on Jeddah Corniche, citing violations of hygiene regulations, the Saudi Press Agency reported Wednesday. During a field tour of businesses on the seafront on Tuesday evening, the municipality's environmental health supervisors discovered a number of workers in the restaurants working without health certificates, said Abdulaziz Al-Ghamdi, spokesman for the municipality. The restaurants were also accused of improperly storing foodstuffs and using expired materials, in addition to several other violations. Some of the eateries were not licensed, Al-Ghamdi said. One restaurant was slapped with a hefty fine, he added, while others were closed. Al-Ghamdi said the municipality has assigned supervisors to carry out periodic inspection tours of all business activities under its jurisdiction during both morning and evening hours. He said owners of restaurants should ensure that their workers are complying with the regulations because they will be held responsible for any violations. He called on members of the public to report any violations they come across by calling the municipality's emergency number 940, which receives calls round the clock.
