By Nawara Fattahova

KUWAIT: Although the number of COVID-19 infections has dropped and the situation is stable in Kuwait, some businesses haven't reopened since they were forced to shut down in March 2020. These include cinemas, nurseries, shisha cafes and exhibition halls. Most owners of these businesses are facing bankruptcy and even imprisonment, as many of them didn't qualify for government aid.

A group of shisha café owners protested in front of the ministry of health in September, demanding to find a solution for their situation. But they were only told to remain patient till the situation improves. According to those who had met Assistant Undersecretary of Public Health Affairs at the Health Ministry Dr Buthayna Al-Mudhaf, she said after Kuwait receives the COVID-19 vaccine, the cafes will be allowed to reopen.

Three months have passed since, and the closure continues. Cafe owners are still suffering, while their financial debts are increasing. Around 35 shisha cafes owners again protested on Tuesday in front of the National Assembly to demand solving their problem by either allowing them to reopen or compensate their losses caused by the closure.

"I received a verdict from the court of first instance to either pay KD 60,000 or risk being imprisoned for not paying this amount. I know that the bankruptcy law was recently issued, but my lawyer said maybe it will be applied during the appeal process. Even if I am saved from going to jail, I will still have to pay the debt or part of it," Eissa Al-Khamees told Kuwait Times.

"I wonder how the judge can compel me to pay the rent for the period when I am not operating. I am not benefiting from the cafe. Even if the verdict relieves me from paying the full rent for the past 10 months, I'm still not able to pay KD 20,000 or 30,000 because I have no income. The government was encouraging young Kuwaitis to become entrepreneurs and open businesses, and now they have abandoned us without resolving our problems," he added.

According to Khamees, there are around 6,000 shisha cafes in Kuwait, employing around 280,000 employees. "Around 16,000 Kuwaiti owners are running these cafes, whose families are surviving from this business. We are not just losing profits - we have to pay the rent, salaries of employees, for the renewal of their residencies, renewal of the license of the café and other expenses. The government is also losing these fees," he stated.

The café owners have agreed to apply any health requirements set by the Ministry of Health (MoH) to be allowed to reopen. "We accept to respect any rule set by the ministry and we can apply the rules followed in neighboring countries. We can have social distancing, disposable hoses, disinfection of the shisha and any other rule. But we can't open to only serve food and beverages, as customers come to us to smoke shisha and not eat and drink. If MoH wants to cancel our business activity forever, let them compensate our losses and pay our loans, so we can end this business definitely and start a new business to have a source of living," concluded Khamees.

Health Ministry Spokesman Dr Abdullah Al-Sanad told Kuwait Times that this issue has not been discussed recently and there is no update on the reopening of shisha cafes. "I didn't hear the statement by (undersecretary) Dr Al-Mudhaf, and MoH hasn't made any official statement on this matter recently," he said.