The practice of sharing shisha pipes has been banned in Harrow and Brent as part of a joint council initiative to help reduce the spread of Covid-19.

Both Harrow and Brent Councils noted that shisha smoking could compromise social distancing measures aimed at protecting people from the virus.

To combat this, they have banned the sharing of pipes in shisha cafés and introduced further health and safety guidance.

This includes limiting the number of people in cafés at any one time, ensuring handwashing before and after smoking, the use of disposable mouthpieces, and regular, thorough sterilisation of pipes.

Shisha bars were given permission to reopen as part of the Government’s easing of lockdown restrictions earlier this month.

Cllr Tom Miller, who is responsible for community protection and engagement at Brent Council, questioned the wisdom of this given the problems that could arise.

But he pointed out that, given the decision has been made, it is important to put measures in place to reduce any additional risk.

“Usually you’d have smokers sitting close to each other for around an hour, all sharing a single pipe, with many hand-to-mouth movements before the pipe is then used by the next group, which is why we are asking café owners to cut out these risks and help stop the spread of the virus,” he said.

“Given some of the issues around shisha cafes and the negative impacts on health, many may well question why the Government chose to allow shisha cafes to reopen before gyms and swimming pools, but what’s important right now is that we all play our part to stop the spread of covid-19 and save lives.”

Cllr Varsha Parmar, who is responsible for the environment at Harrow Council, said it was important for everyone to follow the rules.

She said: “When you’re sitting in an enclosed area, with little room to socially distance, and sharing a shisha pipe with other people, you are putting yourself and others in even greater risk of potentially catching the virus.

“For the sake of your health and wellbeing, I urge everyone to play their part to stop the spread of the virus.”

Both councils urged anyone who sees businesses not following the rules to contact trading standards at trading.standards@brent.gov.uk.