With Christmas and New Year parties coming up, the Health Promotion Administration (HPA) warned the public to remember smoking regulations.
Local health bureaus reported nearly 4,000 cases of public smoking violations in the first 11 months of this year, collecting fines totaling more than NT$19 million (US$581,200), with smokers and business owners liable for prosecution, HPA Tobacco Control Division head Lo Su-ying (羅素英) said.
A total of 1,067 business owners and operators were fined in the first 11 months, with the HPA collecting NT$1.38 million, while 2,874 smokers were fined a total of NT$5.57 million, he said.
Photo: CNA
According to regulations, if a no-smoking venue does not display “no smoking” signs, or provides smoking apparatus such as ashtrays or permits smoking, whoever is responsible for the venue is liable to fines of up to NT$50,000.
People caught smoking in no-smoking areas could be fined a maximum of NT$10,000.
On March 22 last year, an amendment to the Tobacco Hazards Prevention Act (菸害防制法) expanded no-smoking areas to universities, kindergartens, childcare centers and home-based childcare facilities, and stipulated that bars and nightclubs could only allow smoking in independent, air-conditioned and partitioned rooms, Lo said.
The amendment also banned smoking in national parks, scenic areas, forest recreation areas and parklands outside of designated smoking areas, with 30,000 no-smoking zones set up nationwide, from walkways outside convenience stores to bus stops, he said.
If people want to report smoking violations, particularly in the upcoming holiday period, they can call the HPA’s free hotline at 0800-531-531 or report to a local health bureau, he said.
The HPA said that all reported cases would be investigated and handled in accordance with the law to protect public health.
The HPA also provides a variety of free “quit smoking” services, available at 2,700 medical organizations nationwide, or people can call the free HPA “quit smoking” hotline for personalized advice and services at 0800-636-636 or via the Line id @tsh0800636636, it said.
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