Hundreds of restaurants and cafés in Jordan will no longer face being fined for allowing people to smoke hubble bubble pipes on their premises following an agreement between the ministries of tourism and health, the Greater Amman Municipality and the Jordan Restaurant Association.
According to what appeared to be an opinion piece in The Jordan Times, the agreement provides these establishments with a grace period to ‘rectify their situation’, which will entail the setting up of distinct smoking and non-smoking areas, the installation of adequate ventilation systems and the imposition of an 18-years age limit for smokers.
The Times commented that it appeared the concerned authorities were missing the point behind a World Health Organization rule against smoking in public places, ‘which Jordan adopted in principle, but never got around to fully respecting’.
‘Smoking, research shows, is bad for health,’ the Times said. ‘It is the reason for a long list of medical conditions and comes with a hefty price tag, both for the country and for individuals.
‘These considerations should override the business concerns of restaurants and cafés…
‘Our authorities seem to be going the opposite way, prioritizing the business of restaurants and cafés, at the expense of health.’