Beijing to ban smoking in taxis
Passengers and drivers both face fines if they are caught smoking in taxis, but the penalty amount is yet to be announced.
Several local authorities would jointly launch the public promotion of smoke-free taxis this weekend, Zhang Junru, of the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, was quoted saying.
The municipal government has also drafted a set of regulations banning smoking at Olympic venues, athletes’ accommodation areas, and within vehicles designated to serve the event.
Sales of cigarettes would also be banned in all venues, and training and accommodation areas.
However, implementation of the ban faces hurdles in Beijing, where almost half the male population are cigarette addicts, the report said.
According to a survey quoted by the report, Horizon Research Consultancy Group, every smoker in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Wuhan consumes an average of 17 cigarettes every day.
The concept of a “non-smoking” Olympics, initiated in 1988, has been put into practice since the 1992 Barcelona Games.
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