320 salons fined in Dubai during Eid rush

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Total amount of fines imposed on salons during Eid by the Dubai Municipality for various violations reached more than Dh200,000.

As part of a campaign, the Health and Public Safety Department of the municipality inspected around 1,000 salons in Dubai during the last week of Ramadan as the number of customers soared in the run-up to Eid.

Among the 872 men''s salons inspected, 260 were slapped with fines, while 79 faced warnings. For women''s salons, 126 were inspected, among which 60 were fined and 28 were warned.

Fines has mounted up to Dh153,000 for men''s salons, and Dh64,600 for women''s salons. Violations included poor hygiene practices, absence of employees'' health cards and failure to adhere to work uniforms in salons.

Zayed Mohammed Al Ali, principal public health inspection officer at the municipality, attributed violations to the rush of customers that adds pressure to salon workers.

"Since the number of visitors reaches its peak during Eid seasons, workers naturally speed up their work pace to take in as many customers as they can and make profits," said Al Ali.

He added that inspection drives aim to bring to owners'' attention the importance of following hygienic practices. "In most cases, it is lack of awareness. We mostly see commitment after fines are issued."

He noted: "Public safety is a priority, and owners have to find time to ensure the right practices are followed."

With a total of four complaints received during Eid, the civic body urged visitors to contact the municipality''s hotline at 800900 if unhygienic practices were witnessed.

The municipality earlier launched their "Be Aware" campaign to raise awareness on the importance of using safe and disposable tools in salons. Al Ali said the campaign that targeted salon owners and customers achieved huge success and reached out to around 6,000 people in one week.

There are currently 3,200 salons registered with Dubai Municipality, and previous figures showed that almost half of them were slapped with fines from January until May 2016.

He said the department is planning to continue the initiative in collaboration with associations, schools and malls to reach all society segments.

Increase on demand

A senior inspection officer at the Dubai Municipality told Khaleej Times that salons this year witnessed a huge influx of customers during Eid season more than the previous years.

The official said school and summer vacations overlapped with Eid holidays, which led residents to start flying out after Eid. People''s preparation for summer vacations drove salons to stay open until early mornings.

According to the official, the increase in visitors contributed to the increase in violations. "When a salon employee working for over 12 hours a day, of course mistakes will be bound to happen."

Ala Ibrahim, manager at The Edge salon in Wafi Mall, said he witnessed around 40 per cent increase in number of visitors compared to last year.

He added that while last year, the salon operated until 11pm, this year it had to stay open until 2am to accommodate to the demand increase, while the pedicure and manicure workers stayed until 4am.

Ibrahim stated that this year''s one-week Eid holiday contributed to the influx of visitors.

Dania Al Barazi, owner of BONBON Beauty Center in Dubai, echoed similar thoughts as she said: "This Eid had a completely different ambience and joy."

She added: "People wanted to try everything and look their best during the feast. Some visitors actually came from Abu Dhabi."

"In previous years, people preferred to come after Eid, but this time many were preparing to travel. With summer vacation starting, we saw a lot of visitors too," she stated.