Authorities will take punitive action against cafés and restaurants that allow smoking in non-smoking areas, as part of its efforts to enforce the Tobacco Control Act, enacted in 2010, the Ministry of Health has warned.
At a press conference held to inform the media about the ministry’s efforts, Minister of Health Abdulla Nazim Ibrahim stated that punitive action will be taken against cafés and restaurants which violate the law. Some of these punitive actions would include terminating the permits and business licenses.
The Tobacco Control Act designates areas in cafés and restaurants as smoking areas, which should be clearly marked with no-smoking messages. Smoking in other areas is prohibited under the law. Violators of the smoking ban in public spaces would face a fine of approximately US$34.
Authorities have expressed concerns regarding the lack of proper enforcement of these laws. Minister Ibrahim noted that the enforcement of the Tobacco Control Act can only be achieved with the support and joint action of other related agencies.
“We understand that achieving these goals requires the collaboration of multiple sectors. This is an established fact. We need combined efforts from enforcement agencies and the general public, and we need to cultivate a sense of responsibility at the individual level to support enforcement,” he said.
Deputy Director of the Health Protection Agency (HPA), Hassan Mohamed, also acknowledged the challenges to enforcing the smoking ban in designated areas of cafés and restaurants and other public spaces. It is the responsibility of the owners and management of cafés and restaurants to ensure that the Tobacco Control Act is enforced, he stressed.
Citing that amendments have been made to the law to mandate owners of cafés and restaurants to ensure smoking bans are followed, Mohamed warned that punitive action will be taken against owners of such establishments who fail to follow the law. “For instance, the law now authorises the Health [Ministry] to terminate the permits issued to those who violate the law. If such punitive actions fail to correct the behavior, we then have the power to terminate the business licenses of those companies,” Mohamed explained.
As part of the recent amendment to the Tobacco Control Act, the import of vapes and vaping products is also banned. The sale and use of vapes and vaping products will be banned from 15 December. The law also bans the sale of tobacco products to those below the age of 21.