42 smoke-free hawker centres

42 smoke-free hawker centres
Food outlet licensees can get help from NEA to enforce smoking ban

GIVEN the leeway to designate zones for smokers after the July 1 ban comes into effect, 42 of 117 hawker centres islandwide have chosen to go completely smoke-free..

Today understands that their reasons include not being able to reach a consensus on where the smoking area should be located, and expected improvements in cleanliness with the disappearance of cigarette butts..

In the larger picture, however, close to half of the 3,400 food outlets with outdoor dining areas have already put up signs to demarcate smoking zones. Only 182 have chosen to stub out smoking completely. .

In all, about 7,400 eating establishments — including coffee shops, cafes and fast food restaurants — will be affected by the extension of the smoking ban.
While smokers will have to stub it out in all indoor dining areas, hawker centres have been allowed to designate up to 10 per cent of the indoor space for smokers..

On Wednesday, the National Environment Agency (NEA) assured food outlet licensees that they would be able to call the agency's hotline for help with difficult customers..

Licensees have been vocal in their worries about how they would enforce the ban -- under the law, they can be fined $200 for flouting the rules the first time..

Mr Khoo Siow Poh, NEA's director-general of Public Health, said: "Generally, licence operators do not need to worry. So long as they put up their signs and advise smokers not to smoke, they are already doing their part.
If the smokers are unreasonable, they can always go to the NEA for help.".But there will be no such leniency or grace period granted to smokers, the NEA said — anyone caught lighting up where he should not after July 1 will face a $200 fine..
NEA officers, who already patrol eating places to enforce hygiene and other rules, will keep an eye out for smokers..

Meanwhile, licence operators have been busy not just marking out smoking corners, but also preparing their staff to enforce the ban. .

Said Ms Belinda Wong, managing director of Starbucks Coffee Singapore: "We will coach our employees on communicating the new regulations to our customers (and) directing customers to their preferred seating area …

We are optimistic customers will understand the benefits of this initiative, but our employees will still be coached on how to handle difficult situations."

The NEA expects a number of smoking offenders to be caught initially, but the figure would decline overtime. After the ban was introduced to cover bus stops last October, 64 were fined in January, but only nine in May. .

The smoking ban will be extended to pubs, clubs and karaoke lounges in July next year.
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I don't understand the ban of all these! I really don't!
This is so silly!
Come'on, if they don't want to smoke, den ban selling cigarettes!
Why go doing all this ban and ban and ban!
This is getting out of hand!
No life!

Imagine u patron a coffeeshop for dinner, you have to walk away from the coffeeshop and smoke, den go back to sit down. Its seem so silly!
Making people walk here and there, very fun ar?

Just like they banned the bus-stop last year, den what happened?
Smokers will stand next to bus-stop and smoke! So, isn't it the same?
Ban smoking AT the bus-stop? People smoke NEARBY the bus-stop?

Banning Pubs, KTVs from smoking are even worse!
Think KTVs must have bigger corriders for customers to walk in and out of the premise to smoke already. Imagine this, I really laugh.

Why?
Making people so troublesome, yet smokers like me are thinking places for smoking if these premises are being banned!

If really want us to stop smoking, stop polluting the world, BAN CIGARETTES!
And I will quit smoking!!!!!!
Do it!!
Arghhz.. Madness!!!!!