Kuwait café owners have hit out at the public smoking ban issued on Monday and claimed if curbs on the smoking of shisha are enforced some of them may be forced to close.
Commerce and Industry Minister Amani Buresli issued a blanket ban on Monday on smoking in public places including hotels, restaurants and cafes.
Buresli, on recommendations from the Ministry of Health, said the ban covers all forms of smoking, including shisha water pipe, and inspectors will monitor all public places to ensure full respect for the new rules.
She also warned that the ministry will take punitive and legal actions against violators of the ban, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) reported.
The ban has been met with a backlash from café owners, who claim it will have a detrimental impact on their businesses.
“Such laws cannot be enforced and it does a lot of injustice to café owners and the shisha smokers. I will really be forced to stop serving shisha, if they strictly implement it. This would mean shutting down my café,” Ahmad Al-Shatti, owner of Cuba Café, told the Kuwait Times newspaper. “I will definitely demand compensation and sue the authority,” he added.
“We don’t know if this law will be enforced. We are still serving shisha,” a spokesperson from the Sheesha wu Manqusha Café told the newspaper. “I don’t know what will happen in case such a decision is enforced… I think we will suffer great losses. Therefore, I hope that it will not be enforced.”
The Ministry of Health also banned smoking in shopping malls, schools, universities, hospitals, airports, government offices, sports clubs, libraries, recreational places and other public places.
The two ministries urged all Kuwaiti citizens and foreign residents to help enforce the ban that aims to protect public health.
Follow us on
