New Taipei City is on Friday next week to promulgate a citywide ban on e-cigarette use in venues where smoking is prohibited, city officials said on Thursday, adding that the ban would take effect two days after promulgation.
The ordinance, which would also ban the production of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, has been approved by the Executive Yuan, the New Taipei City Department of Health said.
Businesses that breach the ordinance would be fined up to NT$100,000 and have their license revoked, it said.
Photo courtesy the New Taipei City Department of Health
Businesses that sell the prohibited items or their components to minors would face additional fines of up to NT$50,000, it added.
Nicotine inhaled through e-cigarettes is addictive and harmful to people’s health, New Taipei City Department of Health Director Chen Ran-chou (陳潤秋) said.
From 2018 to last year, the share of Taiwanese adults who used e-cigarettes increased almost threefold, from 0.6 percent to 1.7 percent, she said.
Authorities recorded 208 cases of minors using e-cigarettes from January last year to last month, she added.
Fines for e-cigarette use in the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法), from NT$1,000 to NT$3,000, are insufficient and several people who appealed their fines in court have had them repealed, she said.
The ordinance would close loopholes in the law, she said, adding that it would also prohibit advertising for and the importation of the items.
People who are found to use e-cigarettes in areas where smoking is banned would be fined up to NT$10,000, she said.
Smokers who want to quit should seek help from specialists or call the 0800-636-363 hotline, she said.
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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