15 eateries in Makkah shut down due to bad hygiene

MAKKAH — As many as 15 restaurants were shut down for violating hygiene rules on the first day of a five-day massive health campaign that began on Monday and covered the areas within the boundaries of Al-Shwaqiyyah and Al-Aziziyah branch municipalities of Makkah. Quoting Mohammed Fawtawi, director of the department of environmental health in Makkah Municipality, Makkah daily said the campaign will clover all restaurants in the holy city to make sure that they are clean and serving hygienic food. He said during the campaign, the hands of the workers will be examined for germs and bacteria to make sure that they are according to the normal rate of between 100-300 units. "We discovered that the rate of bacteria in some workers was more than 7,000 so we immediately closed down and fined the restaurant," he said. Fawtawi said meat samples were taken for examination with 48 hours and the punishment will be decided according to the results of the test. "We are not only looking for the safety of food and the cleanliness of the workers but we are also looking for the neat upkeep of the restaurant itself, its outside appearance, the presence of health tools, the availability of water filters and the commitment of workers to wear protective gloves," he said. The director said they were closely monitoring the closed down restaurants and would not allow them to reopen without correcting the violations. "None of the closed restaurants will be allowed to reopen if it had not corrected the violations for which it was closed down in the first place," he warned.