Фото: Ishan @seefromthesky
Belarus is planning to expand smoking restrictions. Smoking will be banned on the entrance steps of residential buildings. This was announced at a press conference at the National Press Centre by head of department at the Republican Centre for Hygiene, Epidemiology and Public Health Volha Bartman. The draft law is currently undergoing coordination with relevant authorities.
“Taking into account the health risks posed by electronic smoking systems, nicotine-containing products used as an alternative to smoking, heated tobacco products, and smoking itself, a new draft law is being developed to regulate all these products. At present, it is being coordinated with the relevant state administration bodies.
One of the current features of the draft is that requirements for manufacturers of these products have been tightened and the list of public places where smoking is prohibited has been expanded. Entrance steps of apartment buildings and dormitories have been added.
Requirements prohibiting sales to minors and to adults purchasing for minors have also been tightened, along with a number of other measures. I hope that the adoption of this regulatory act will also allow us to strengthen regulation and, where possible, prevent younger generations from becoming involved in the consumption of these products”, she said.
According to Bartman, sanitary supervision authorities have also monitored compliance with smoking bans in public places and the practice of imposing administrative penalties. As a result, additional measures may be developed to strengthen enforcement aimed at preventing smoking in public places.