Morocco Shisha Cafes Remain Open Despite Coronavirus Concerns

The risk of contamination in shisha cafes remains very high, and some do not understand that among the measures taken to contain the spread of the virus, there is no closure of these cafes. Doctors and specialists have indicated to Hespress that the air emanating from the hookah could contain the smoker’s saliva and reach the person sitting nearby. An infected person with the coronavirus could thus contaminate other customers of the cafe.

According to statistics, the number of shisha cafes in Morocco exceeds 2,000, while more than 20,000 people smoke shisha per day. On this issue, the director of the Department of Epidemiology and Disease Control at the Ministry of Health, Mohamed El Ayoubi, simply stressed that Moroccan citizens must take "individual preventive measures" regarding the frequentation of shisha cafes. But this does not constitute official measures.

For its part, the Ministry of Health "recommends the ventilation of public places. However, the implementation of this measure remains difficult. The same goes for shisha cafes. Shisha smokers must measure the risk they are taking," he said.

According to the director of the epidemiology department, given the current situation related to the spread of the virus, new preventive measures could still be announced.