ADM cracks down on salons, laundries, outdoor sitting areas

The Municipality of Abu Dhabi City has embarked on an evening inspection campaign targeting men hair-cutting salons, women beauty parlours, laundry shops, and outdoor sitting areas of cafes, cafeterias and restaurants to verify their compliance with the applicable health stipulations and public safety codes. The campaign, which was run by the Public Health Division of the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, resulted in issuing 113 instant offence tickets, and serving 74 warnings to offenders to urge them make amends for their affairs, and comply with the prevailing health stipulations under the strategy of the Municipality to maintain the public health, and combat the risks undermining the safety and public health of the community. Kahlifa Al Rumaithi, Director of the Public Health at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City, who led the inspection team, said: "These campaigns are launched in the context of the Municipality's Mission and routine plans to upkeep the public health '&' hygiene in all parts of the city that call for applying a continuous inspection '&' monitoring regime. "The inspection campaign of hair-cutting salons focused on verifying employees' compliance with the white dress code during their working hours, and ensuring that they operate the sterilization equipment, and use the sterilization liquid. Inspectors also draw samples of cosmetics of shaving '&' beautification tools in use as well as solvents, disinfection and sterilization equipment used inside the salons to subject them to microbiological culture and other necessary tests to verify their conformity with the standards, besides listing the laser devices to check if they match to the health requirements set for these activities," said Al Rumaithi. As for the campaign on laundries, Al Rumaithi said: "The campaign on laundries focused on irregularities of putting clothes on the floor and using concrete basins and hand-washing sinks for laundry; which is a flagrant breach of regulations and health conditions for laundries." Al Rumaithi called for the strict compliance with all stipulations set for laundries given the associated direct impact on the health '&' safety of the public. He reiterated the Municipality's endeavours to upgrade this sort of service through consolidating the concept of self-monitoring, which is one of the key ingredients of providing quality services. He stressed it is incumbent on coffee shops, cafeterias, restaurants and other facilities where outdoor sitting areas are made to remove any encroachments, ensure that the distance between outdoor sitting areas and residential areas is not less than 30 meters, and that such sitting areas do not border places of worship, schools, hospitals, and ATMs due to the noise and lights associated with these patios.