Staff Reporter
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| City Center Doha’s main entrance wore a deserted look as it closed for a fire safety drill yesterday. PICTURES: Shemeer Rasheed |
One of Qatar’s main shopping malls - City Center Doha - will remain closed today also as part of a 48-hour closure for fire and safety inspection exercise being conducted by the Civil Defence authorities.
The inspection comes in the wake of a fire incident at the Villaggio Mall on May 28, which claimed 19 lives including 13 children.
When Gulf Times visited City Center Doha early afternoon yesterday, officers from the mall’s private security firm were seen turning shoppers away and informing them of the closure.
“Due to fire and safety inspection, City Center will be closed for the next 48 hours,” said a notice pasted by the management near the entrances of the shopping mall.
Given that Friday and Saturday are the busiest days at City Center Doha, a number of shoppers were seen leaving disappointed.
The Ministry of Interior had announced in Arabic on its twitter account that ‘in the course of co-operation between Civil Defence Department and commercial establishments, a shopping centre was closed on Friday morning until it completes the safety requirements.’
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| The notice of the closure pasted in one of the entrances yesterday |
Now with another big shopping and leisure destination closed, although for 48 hours, Qatar residents are already having a tough time spending their leisure time as most people choose to visit shopping malls during the weekends either to shop or just to relax.
Earlier due to the impact of the Villaggio Mall closure, visitors to other major malls, notably City Center Doha, Landmark Mall, and The Mall have not been finding it easy.
All the malls have been full for the past fortnight, even during week days. “Landmark Mall is bursting at seams as early as noon,” a visitor tweeted yesterday.
“It’s crazy here in Landmark … Never seen so many people on a Friday afternoon ... food court is buzzing,” so went the tweet.
However, since the news of the mall’s closure broke, people have been expressing different reactions via the social media – twitter and Facebook.
While some expressed support for the fire and safety inspection exercise, also even recommending similar actions at other big malls, some said it took so long and a tragic event to bring the importance of safety to the fore.
“I would be in support of it being closed for as long as it has to make sure it is up to safety standards and to allow for all staff to have full health and safety training. Well done City Center,” a resident wrote on Facebook.
On Jun 10, the Prevention Department at the General Directorate of Civil Defence issued a warning to owners and operators of buildings, giving them 30 days to implement security-related measures on their premises failing which they could be shut down.