Province closes repeat health order-violating hookah lounge, allows reopening hours later

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This article was published 01/10/2020 (1449 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After getting caught once again violating public health orders during the novel coronavirus pandemic, a Winnipeg hookah lounge was shuttered by provincial officials Thursday night — only to be allowed to reopen less than 24 hours later following an inspection.

In its latest health protection report, the Manitoba government announced it had closed 7 Arabian Dreams, located at 775 Corydon Ave., on Thursday, for repeatedly breaching public health orders that banned the use of hookah.

A hookah is an instrument traditionally used to smoke shisha, a mixture of tobacco and molasses sugar or fruit.

Under normal circumstances, some Winnipeg restaurants operate as hookah lounges by offering customers the ability to smoke tobacco-free herbal shisha. But it has been banned during the COVID-19 pandemic due to concerns the practice will help spread the virus.

“Public health can confirm that 7 Arabian Dreams was closed due to public health order violations the evening of Oct. 1 for the repeated use of hookah on their premises. However, after complying with the request to remove all hookah materials from the site, the location reopened Oct. 2 after inspection,” a provincial spokeswoman said in a written statement.

In total, public health officials have levied at least 15 fines, totalling $34,000, against six restaurants and lounges that offer hookah since late May.

Leading the pack as worst repeat offender has been 7 Arabian Dreams, which has been issued six tickets for a total of $15,252. Those tickets resulted from four inspections at the restaurant — on Aug. 1, Aug. 27, Sept. 8, and Sept. 10.

In a past interview with the Free Press, co-owner of 7 Arabian Dreams, Amanjot Singh Bajwa, said his business would comply with the public health orders moving forward and stop allowing customers to smoke hookah. However, he said he was worried this would cripple his profits and ultimately lead to the closure of the restaurant.

Singh Bajwa did not respond to a request for comment Friday. He previously said he believed hookah lounges were being unfairly targeted by public health officials and that hookah could continue to be smoked safely during the pandemic — an assertion disputed by the province.

Due to rising case counts of COVID-19, Winnipeg and surrounding municipalities went into “code orange” Sept. 28, which involves tighter restrictions on businesses, smaller gathering sizes and mandated mask usage in public-facing businesses.

The provincial spokeswoman confirmed that “7 Arabian Dreams is the first business to be closed under the public health orders restricting the operation of hookah.”

“Public health focuses on the education on the public health emergency orders with businesses in order to facilitate compliance with the orders and did so with businesses in respect of the use of hookahs,” the spokeswoman said.

“The prohibition on the use of hookahs was ordered by the chief provincial public health officer based on the risk of transmission of COVID-19 that they present.”

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe