Qatar’s Supreme Council of Health has instituted a temporary ban on cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes from Spain and Germany.

More than 1,500 people in Europe have suffered food poisoning and 18 have died from E. coli poisoning that has been traced back to the two countries on Qatar’s blacklist.

Qatar, which imports 90 percent of its food, is also warning residents to take precautions when eating fruits and vegetables.

QNA reports:

The Department of Public Health at the SCH advises passengers who are travelling to the infected countries to avoid having fresh and raw vegetables until things settle down.

They are also advised to repeatedly wash their hands especially before the preparation an eating their foods, and after using the bath room…

The SCH will not hesitate to ban all vegetable imports from Europe if that is necessary to preserve the people’s health in Qatar.

Earlier this week, the UAE issued a similar ban that also includes certain imported produce from Denmark and the Netherlands.

But it has relaxed some of its restrictions after thorough testing found no trace of E. coli bacteria.

Read QNA’s full statement, including a description of the symptoms of E. coli poisoning, here.