Tough
anti-smoking measures have gone into effect in the Chinese capital,
where smoking is now banned in restaurants, offices and on public
transport.
Under
the law rolled out on Monday, anyone in Beijing who violates the bans,
which include smoking near schools and hospitals, must pay $32.25. The
current fine, seldom enforced, is just $1.60.
Anyone
who breaks the law three times will be named and shamed on a government
website. And businesses can be fined up to $1,600 for failing to stamp
out smoking on their premises.
The
government will also no longer allow cigarettes to be sold to shops
within 100 metres of primary schools and kindergartens, according to
state media.
China
has more than 300 million smokers, and more than 1 million people die
each year due to smoking-related diseases, according to the National
Health and Family Planning Commission.
More than half of Chinese smokers buy cigarettes at less than $0.80 a pack.
Previous attempts to ban smoking in Beijing, the latest in 2011, have ended in failure.
Al
Jazeera’s Adrian Brown, reporting from Beijing, said enforcement would
be a major challenge but noted that the campaign around the new law had
been more high-profile than previous anti-smoking measures.
The
Bird’s Nest Stadium, the symbol of the 2008 Olympics, has beem draped
in vast anti-smoking banners and on Sunday, a large event was held to
promote the ban.
Bright
red banners, typically used to display government slogans, have also
been posted around Beijing with anti-smoking messages, the Reuters news
agency reported.
At least 1,300 inspectors will be dispatched to enforce the ban, supported by volunteers.
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