Muscat City Centre is set to be the first shopping mall in the Oman capital to ban smoking when new rules come into force on Thursday.
The mall will ban smoking in all enclosed public places, and anyone caught lighting up inside the mall after April 1 will be told to leave or escorted from the building.
Muscat City Centre will provide designated areas for those who still wish to smoke, but added that the ban “will strictly enforces” outside of those areas.
On Wednesday, the mall put up non-smoking posters and stickers around the entire premises while all staff will wear badges to remind visitors of the new rules.
Ibrahim Al Qassimi, general manager, Muscat City Centre, said he believed the ban would have a positive effect on the visitors and the time they spend in the mall.
“As well as the obvious health benefits to all our shoppers, I think there are also psychological factors that make it a cleaner, more enjoyable experience. The Muscat Municipality has laid down some very strict criteria as part of their campaign to illustrate how smoking can seriously affect your health,” he said,
“We are very much in favour of the decision and are proud to be so proactive in implementing the new laws,” added Al Qassimi.
The ban will also extend to chewing and sniffing all tobacco products and retailers could face tougher penalties for selling tobacco products to under 18s, including jail sentences.
Muscat City Centre is the biggest fashion and lifestyle mall in Oman and recently underwent a 16-month RO22.5 million expansion project.
The centre currently houses 147 retail outlets, a Carrefour hypermarket, Magic Planet and an international food court with 22 cafes and restaurants.
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