With translation from Heba Fahmy

Qatar’s Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning (MMUP) has temporarily closed the grocery section of a popular hypermarket on Salwa Road for five days.

On its Facebook page, the MMUP said that Quality Hypermarket’s food section was shut for “preparing and trading in food items under unsanitary conditions.”

Photos posted by the MMUP showed that inspectors cordoned off several areas of the store, including the bakery, dairy and meat/fish sections.

The hypermarket’s upstairs area, which contains electronics and other home accessories, remains open to the public.

Reaction

The closure appears to have caught many Qatar residents off-guard, and comes ahead of a busy shopping season as Ramadan starts next week.

From the outside, the hypermarket looks operational, but shoppers looking to buy foodstuff were barred entry by several large white screens and banners.

During a visit to the store this morning, Doha News observed several shoppers stopping to read the signs affixed to the screens that said, “(the) supermarket will reopen within (a) few days, sorry for the inconvenience.”

Some asked a nearby security guard and staffers at the customer service booth for clarification, but were told only that the supermarket was closed and would reopen shortly.

Employees declined to comment on the closure to Doha News.

The hypermarket is expected to completely reopen on Tuesday, June 16.

Thoughts?