As the world celebrates World No Tobacco Day today, the Department of Health (DOH) is reminding people that all public facilities and indoor work environments will be smoke-free from next year.
The policy, scheduled to take effect on Jan. 11, will essentially ban smoking in indoor facilities designed for more than three people, such as government organizations, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls, Internet cafes or Karaoke bars.
However, locations equipped with indoor smoking rooms that have independent air conditioning and bars that open after 9pm and forbid the entry of those aged under 18 will be exempt from the rule.
Outdoor facilities, such as school campuses, stadiums, or any public place where children or teenagers visit frequently, will be asked to observe the smoke-free policy as well.
Passengers will also not be able to smoke at bus stops, on platforms or at any other waiting areas.
Hsiao Mei-ling (蕭美玲), director general of the DOH’s Bureau of Health Promotion, said yesterday that business owners must display no-smoking signs. They are also forbidden to provide customers with cigarettes or any other equipment for smoking. Those violating the rule will be fined NT$10,000 to NT$50,000.
Individuals found smoking in smoke-free facilities will be fined NT$2,000 to NT$10,000.
Hsiao said the policy is expected to have a comprehensive impact. The department has produced a television commercial that will be aired from now until next year to inform people about the new policy, she said.
To test the public’s perception of the new policy, the Taipei Medical University conducted a survey in February the results of which show that only about 22 percent of respondents knew that the new policy will be implemented next year and the penalties for violating the rules.
More than 90 percent of those surveyed supported the government’s decision to expand smoke-free areas.
In related news, Deputy Minister of Health Cheng Shou-hsia (鄭守夏) reiterated yesterday that the department is determined to raise the tobacco health welfare tax. Last year, the department proposed to increase the tax from NT$10 to NT$45 per pack of cigarettes.
FINAL COUNTDOWN: About 50,000 attended a pro-recall rally yesterday, while the KMT and the TPP plan to rally against the recall votes today Democracy activists, together with arts and education representatives, yesterday organized a motorcade, while thousands gathered on Ketagalan Boulevard in Taipei in the evening in support of tomorrow’s recall votes. Recall votes for 24 Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) lawmakers and suspended Hsinchu City mayor Ann Kao (高虹安) are to be held tomorrow, while recall votes for seven other KMT lawmakers are scheduled for Aug. 23. The afternoon motorcade was led by the Spring Breeze Culture and Arts Foundation, the Tyzen Hsiao Foundation and the Friends of Lee Teng-hui Association, and was joined by delegates from the Taiwan Statebuilding Party and the Taiwan Solidarity
‘NON-RED’: Taiwan and Ireland should work together to foster a values-driven, democratic economic system, leveraging their complementary industries, Lai said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday expressed hopes for closer ties between Taiwan and Ireland, and that both countries could collaborate to create a values-driven, democracy-centered economic system. He made the remarks while meeting with an Irish cross-party parliamentary delegation visiting Taiwan. The delegation, led by John McGuinness, deputy speaker of the Irish house of representatives, known as the Dail, includes Irish lawmakers Malcolm Byrne, Barry Ward, Ken O’Flynn and Teresa Costello. McGuinness, who chairs the Ireland-Taiwan Parliamentary Friendship Association, is a friend of Taiwan, and under his leadership, the association’s influence has grown over the past few years, Lai said. Ireland is
Instead of threatening tariffs on Taiwan-made chips, the US should try to reinforce cooperation with Taiwan on semiconductor development to take on challenges from the People’s Republic of China (PRC), a Taiwanese think tank said. The administration of US President Donald Trump has threatened to impose across-the-board import duties of 32 percent on Taiwan-made goods and levy a separate tariff on semiconductors, which Taiwan is hoping to avoid. The Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology (DSET), a National Science and Technology Council think tank, said that US efforts should focus on containing China’s semiconductor rise rather than impairing Taiwan. “Without
An SOS message in a bottle has been found in Ireland that is believed to have come from the Taiwanese captain of fishing vessel Yong Yu Sing No. 18 (永裕興18號), who has been missing without a trace for over four years, along with nine Indonesian crew members. The vessel, registered to Suao (蘇澳), went missing near Hawaii on Dec. 30, 2020. The ship has since been recovered, but the 10 crew members have never been found. The captain, surnamed Lee (李), is believed to have signed the note with his name. A post appeared on Reddit on Tuesday after a man
RSS