Ibrahim Alawi/Okaz

JEDDAH — The Jeddah Municipality closed nine major markets for not adhering to precautionary and preventive measures against coronavirus. The closure comes after field tours were carried out in 4,369 sites for nearly 72 hours until Monday (April 12) to monitor and ensure compliance with the regulations by commercial establishments.

The inspection rounds resulted in the closure of several markets, including Bab Shareef, Khaskia, and Bedouins markets, within the Municipality of Historical Jeddah, for non-compliance with the precautionary and preventive measures, especially those related to overcrowding and mandatory social distancing.

The municipality closed two well-known stores on Tahlia Street, and within the municipality of Al-Mleisaa, 81 shops in the popular Al-Sawareekh Market were closed for noncompliance with the precautionary measures. Furthermore, the Rahmaniyah 1 and 2, and Al-Fursan market were also closed.

In addition, within the Al-Balad Municipality, the popular Al-Yumana Market was closed down after monitoring a large number of shoppers and detecting noncompliance with the precautionary and preventive measures against COVID-19. The municipality carried out its rounds in 19 subsidiary municipalities and 15 governorate municipalities, including markets, malls, and large complexes.

The municipality inspectors carrying out rounds in the markets seek to ensure implementation of the precautionary measures and preventive protocols issued by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.

The rounds uncovered several violations, the most serious of which were not wearing the facemask correctly, failure to monitor shoppers’ body temperature, apart from not asking shoppers to show the Tawakkalna app before entering the commercial facility.

These violations necessitated closing down the businesses immediately plus imposing a fine on the spot. The violations also included crowding of shoppers and noncompliance with the mandatory social distancing due to the nonexistence of stickers on the floor to ensure spacing between shoppers.

The inspection rounds by the municipality supervisors included checking the standard (level?) of hygiene, the extent of adhering to municipal requirements, preserving and serving food, and verifying if the provision of in-dining ordering services in the restaurants has been suspended. Penalties were imposed on sites that do not comply with the precautionary and preventive measures.