RAMALLAH, January 30, 2018 (WAFA) - Ramallah and Al-Bireh governor, Laila Ghannam, announced on Tuesday a ban on selling cigarettes, hookah and alcoholic beverages to minors under 18 years of age.

She said that strict measures will be taken against restaurants, coffee shops and groceries that violate this ordinance, calling for protection of the children from exposure to such health and social hazards.

The announcement was made following a meeting held at the governorate’s headquarter in Ramallah and attended by representatives from the city councils, the security services and police, chambers of commerce and industry, directorates of health, social affairs, labor, agriculture, civil defense, consumer protection agencies, education, economy, and other relevant institutions where they discussed mechanisms of intensifying monitoring and to take legal actions against violators.

Amidst the prevailing phenomenon of minors smoking cigarettes and hookahs in Ramallah’s coffee shops and restaurants, banning them for such age is necessary for assuring the safety of our children and make it a priority issue, Ghannam said.

C.K./M.K.