Sharjah tells eateries to install CCTV cameras or face fine

Sharjah - This will help ensure that proper health requirements are applied to protect consumers' health and safety.

The Sharjah Municipality has made it mandatory for all restaurants, cafeterias, cafes, public kitchens, bakeries, and food manufacturers to install CCTV cameras inside their establishments, especially in areas where the food is cooked. They have been given maximum six months to meet the requirement. Violators will have to face hefty fines and penalties, the civic body has warned.
Thabet Al Tarifi, director-general of Sharjah Municipality, said that the move comes as part of the civic body's efforts to tighten control over food makers and methods they use in preparing the food. This will help ensure that proper health requirements are applied to protect consumers' health and safety, he pointed out.
Al Tarifi added that the municipality has asked all food makers and manufacturers to implement the prescribed health standards and preventive measures in their units.
The civic body will impose strict penalties and deterrents against violators as per the health regulations approved by the Sharjah Executive Council. Routine inspections will be carried out by the food control department to ensure compliance of health requirements and preventive measures to stymie the spread of Covid-19, he underlined.
Sheikha Shaza Al Mualla, assistant director-general of the public health sector and central laboratories, said that the municipality had laid down many conditions and controls for installing CCTVs.
These include that the storage capacity of these cameras should not be less than six months. The footage should be captured in a way that it enables food inspectors to view the recordings clearly. The establishments must not delete the files without approval from the food control department of the public health department. The owners of the food establishments must pledge in writing to the department that they would abide by all these conditions.
The municipality has called upon residents and citizens to contact it via the call centre on 993 to report any violations.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com 

• Sharjah