Romania introduces smoking ban
Smoking is no longer permitted in all enclosed public places in Romania, with the public being divided over the new law.
Corina Cristea, 17.03.2016, 14:01
As of March 17,
smoking is no longer permitted in enclosed public places in Romania. The
restrictions, introduced nearly two months ago, make smoking illegal in all
work places and public institutions, on public transport and in children’s
playground areas. The ban also covers healthcare and education institutions,
public and private childcare centres, stores, exhibition halls, indoor fairs,
shopping areas and market places. The guidelines for implementation, posted on
Wednesday on the Government’s website, list other areas where smoking is no
longer allowed, such as restaurants, bars, cafes, nightclubs, including those
with air conditioning, casinos, cultural and sports centres, bus or train
stations and airports, or in taxis. Electronic cigarettes have also been banned
from all means of public transport.
Romania is the
94th country to introduce a total smoking ban in all indoor public
places. Smoking is essentially permitted only in outdoor places, courtyards,
open balconies, and kiosks. The only exemptions from the law are the prisoner
cells in maximum-security prisons and designated areas in international
airports.
Individual
persons who break the smoking ban may be fined 20 to 120 euros, while the
institutions found in breach of the law risk paying fines of 1,100 to 3,300
euros. Companies may also receive additional penalties, going as far as having
their operations suspended, while employees may see their salaries cut or even
their employment terminated.
Predictably, the
smoke-free law has divided the public, with smokers claiming they are
discriminated against. The more outraged of them suggested solutions that would
allow them to smoke indoors, such as turning pubs and bars into private
members’ clubs or into smoking research centres, as some in the UK tried to
do. Some of the smokers however support the idea of smoke-free workplaces,
while doctors argue that the law will help reduce the frequency of fatal
diseases related to smoking.
