Badr Al-Shihab, official spokesman for Al-Ahsa mayoralty, announced Wednesday that a shisha ban has been enforced on the city.

The move comes after the mayoralty conducted a study to examine health conditions in shisha cafes with the aim of relocating water pipe establishments from residential areas and the vicinity of educational premises.

The mayoralty issued new laws regarding the operation of shisha cafes, stipulating that all hookah cafes need to apply for a license, which will only be granted if the café is located 1,000 meters away from residential and educational premises.

In addition, shisha cafes should be no smaller than 5,000 square meters and abide by the health regulations for restaurants and cafes issued by the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs.

The new laws have resulted in the closure of a large number of cafes in the city, with some owners choosing to relocate south of Hofuf where there are many cafes along the highway.

Recently, more than seven cafes have been shut down for not abiding by the new regulations and the mayoralty’s inspection patrols have arrested more than 1,000 workers, who were employed illegally in the shisha cafes.

The deputy mayor of Al-Ahsa for municipal services said these measures aim to improve environmental protection and raise public health standards in the city.