SHEESHA cafés in Bahrain are demanding that a returned rule to divide their space equally between smoking and non-smoking sections be scrapped.
The rule was relaxed in 2019 when they were only required to set aside 10 per cent of their space as a non-smoking area.
However, opening following seven months of closure during the pandemic in 2020, the cafés were allowed only to accept vaccinated customers outdoors.
The rule was further relaxed following another six-week closure in 2021 to allow vaccinated customers indoors.
Earlier this year, all Covid-19 restrictions were cancelled, but the original 50pc rule was restored.
“By logic, a customer coming to a sheesha café knows that our main service is smoke,” said sheesha cafés owner spokesman and Chaise Café owner Hamad Hussain.
“The Health Ministry should give us 100pc space for smoking and should a non-smoking customer or group come in we will make the necessary arrangement within the café to have them away from smokers,” he added.
“Since opening in 1999 in Adliya, I have not seen any non-smoker come to my café.
“So why do we need to leave 50pc, even the least of 1pc, of our space empty?
“We pay BD700 annually, BD200 as commercial registration and BD500 sheesha licensing, so why doesn’t the government give us a 50pc discount in the sheesha fee?”
Mr Hussain further added the government has now opened sheesha café licences for normal restaurants and coffee shops.
“Most food and beverage outlets serve sheesha now and the market is tough and if we can’t benefit from the whole space, then we are losing out,” he said.
“I closed down two branches in Sanad and Sitra because of the closure rules for Covid-19 and the effect continues and I am trying to break even as are other owners, but when rules are toughened, things don’t improve.”
Parliament’s financial and economic affairs committee chairman Ahmed Al Salloom, who is also Bahrain Chamber board member, said moves to scrap the rule were underway.
“Sheesha cafés are clearly a place for smokers, but since the return of 50pc, losses were incurred since half of the space was underused,” he added.
Mr Al Salloom acknowledged that reducing the size of non-smoking areas might force some customers to sit in smoking sections even if they did not want to, as a result of limited seating.
However, he added some sheesha cafe owners were intending to create larger non-smoking sections than required.
“On peak days, such as weekends and national holidays, adjustments will be made,” said Mr Al Salloom.
“But if that’s impossible non-smokers will have to sit outdoors. No one will be turned away.
“Some sheesha café owners said they would provide more space for non-smokers on a permanent basis, in line with the nature of their customers. But it should be by choice.”
However, Parliament’s services committee chairman Ahmed Al Ansari said non-smokers should have full rights within an outlet.
“Smoking shouldn’t be encouraged on people who want to stay healthy,” he said.
“People may like food and beverages in a sheesha café, but that doesn’t mean they should smoke sheesha to sit or get treated as outsiders.
“The percentages are being imposed for a reason and that’s protecting public health and well-being, while ensuring people have a nice meal in a clean environment.”
Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam Khalaf in 2018 overturned a 2006 ministerial order, which imposed restrictions on locations and timings.
The previous rule stipulated a distance of 200 metres between a sheesha café and any home, school, educational institution, government building, embassy or consulate, mosque or any security, emergency or religious facility.
Cafés were also obliged to close at midnight on weekdays and 1am during weekends. There are currently more than 11,000 licensed sheesha cafés in Bahrain.
The GDN reported on Saturday that the National Anti-Smoking Committee was honoured with the No Tobacco Day 2022 award during the 75th World Health Assembly, in Geneva.
The award comes on the occasion of World Health Organisation (WHO)’s celebration of ‘World No Tobacco Day’ which falls on May 31 annually. It is being held this year under the slogan ‘Tobacco is a threat to our environment’.
mohammed@gdn.com.bh
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