China, often known as the “paradise for smokers,” is taking steps to establish its first outdoor smoking areas.
Global Times reported that the Shanghai Health Commission plans to set up 300 outdoor smoking pilot areas by the end of the year. This initiative will restrict smoking to designated areas and reduce secondhand smoke exposure in public spaces.
Shanghai is set to strengthen its indoor smoking bans and enhance enforcement measures. Since March 2017, smoking has been prohibited in all indoor public places across the city. The new regulations will expand this ban to include all public spaces, indoor workplaces, and public transportation. Outdoor areas such as kindergartens, elementary and middle schools, gyms, and children’s hospitals will also be designated as smoke-free zones.
Moreover, any indoor smoking rooms in restaurants, hotels, or offices designated non-smoking areas must be removed. Individuals caught violating the smoking ban will face fines ranging from 50 to 200 yuan (about $7 to $28). Businesses that fail to comply could be fined between 2,000 and 30,000 yuan (approximately $280 to $4,200).
Beijing has been a leader in controlling indoor smoking since June 2015, followed by other major cities like Shanghai, where indoor smoking bans are in place. However, compliance remains an issue, with many still smoking openly in restaurants and hotel lobbies, earning the country its reputation as a smoker’s paradise.
In response to this ongoing problem, Shanghai’s decision to designate outdoor smoking areas and enhance indoor smoking enforcement may provoke significant public backlash.
The Shanghai government emphasized that the new regulations are intended to manage outdoor smoking better, reduce the health risks associated with secondhand smoke outdoors, and protect public health.
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