A shisha café says it will continue to adopt Covid safety measures when the restrictions come to an end on July 19.
Shisha cafes much like nightclubs will be some of the very last businesses to reopen to the public. Cafes have not been permitted to serve shishas inside or outside since late last year.
Following the move to Step 3 on May 17, all restaurants were permitted to open and serve food inside but Shisha Cafes were forced to remain closed as government advice stated at the time that ‘Venues will be prohibited from providing shared smoking equipment such as shisha pipes.’
Cafes are now set to open up in time for the Eid festival which takes place on July 20.
Cafes tend to serve food and drink as well as the Shisha - which is flavoured tobacco smoked through a pipe.
Junoon Cafe said it is excited to finally be reopening after a tumultuous year of what they described as ‘chaos, Covid, and confusion.’
They told us they would be adopting the ‘One shisha per person’ rule with no shared equipment. There would be a maximum six to a table and there would be no reusing of reusing shisha equipment for 72 hours.
They would still ask all guests to use hand sanitisers which would be available throughout the building.
Imtiaz Khan of Junoon Cafe, said: "It's only in times of extreme limitation and restriction that our true creativity comes to the forefront. Although we haven't had to implement all of our strategies yet we're ready for another lockdown in the worst-case scenario.
“The shisha lounge industry has faced a lot of challenges since March 2020 and has been asked to adhere to some of the strictest guidelines during the pandemic.
“Now that things are expected to get back to 'normal' on July 19. Social distancing rules are expected to be loosened somewhat, but Junoon Cafe recommends that lounges still follow common sense hygiene procedures."
He said the café had looked to adapt to the changing circumstances, “Even though we have not been able open to the public we have made the most of the opportunity to revamp our interior, tweak the Junoon experience, and to offer products online.
“In short, we have had to adapt to the changing terrain and ensure that we're resilient in the case of future restrictions.”
Shabana who attends Shisha café with her friends said it was about time the cafes were permitted to finally open. She said: “We only go out once a week. We don’t go to a nightclub and some people don’t even smoke and just want to come have some food in a relaxed setting.
“It has been really missed. I know people who have not been to one since before the pandemic began last February.”
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