528 stores in Amman closed for health violations this year

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has closed down 528 stores since the beginning of this year for failing to abide by health regulations, a municipality official said on Wednesday. 

Mervat Mheirat, director of GAM’s health supervision department, said GAM inspectors are concerned with safeguarding public health.

“We didn’t focus on shop licences during that period since they had until the beginning of this month to renew them. We were concerned with health violations,” she told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday. 

Municipality teams destroyed 960 tonnes of food items found unfit for human consumption at the Ghabawi Landfill and 19 litres of various liquids since the beginning of this year, according to a GAM statement. 

Mheirat said GAM health inspectors conducted 26,222 field visits during this period, noting that the number of registered health violations dropped by 4 per cent compared with the first four months of last year.

“The teams have so far issued 2,954 warnings, while they issued 3,109 last year. They have also dealt with 983 complaints this year,” she added. The GAM official said the number of field visits is expected to increase during summer and in the fasting month of Ramadan, when food consumption increases, since shopkeepers will be showcasing their goods until a late hour. 

“During these two periods, we focus on shopping centres and food warehouses in our field visits.”