I commend the Jeddah Municipality for shutting down some restaurants that violated health and safety regulations and for naming and shaming these restaurants in the media. The municipality took the right step to end practices that have scant regard for public health and safety. The municipality has in the past tried to impose fines and penalties on violators but that has not been enough. That is why most violators continue to run their eateries thinking that the municipality would not name and shame them in the media. The situation has now changed. What the Jeddah Municipality has done should be done by all municipalities across the Kingdom. Each and every municipality should monitor and inspect restaurants and name and shame those that do not comply with health and safety rules. I would like also to commend the Ministry of Commerce and Industry for supporting the municipality and ending these negatives practices that have continued for years. I hope other government agencies join forces with the municipality and the ministry to protect citizens from restaurants that only care about making money by any means necessary. Many restaurant owners have tried to oppose the decision but the municipality has remained firm and announced that it will confiscate the licenses of restaurants that refuse to be named and shamed for committing violations. I do not think that this decision was unfair. It is completely fair because the restaurants were shut down legally. I hope the municipality does not succumb to any pressure and continues to fight violators. I believe businesses that offer services related to the public and fail to meet health and safety regulations should be named and shamed in the media. The Ministry of Health should adopt the same policy with private and public hospitals to improve the quality of services, create a more competitive market and reduce the likelihood of medical errors. An investor will make sure his business provides high-quality services for fear of being shutdown. The municipality has made huge successes in its fight against restaurants that violate health and safety rules. It seems that its efforts in this direction are faltering because of the large number of restaurant owners who are opposing it. The municipality should continue its struggle to issue new regulations that would allow it to continue its crackdown on restaurants. It should monitor the market and work to issue such regulations. The current regulations are old and need to be revised to prioritize the health of citizens. As for angry restaurant owners, they should think twice before offering poor services.
