GuangZhou’s NPC Standing Committee announced yesterday (August 2) that new smoking regulations will be effective on September 1. Smoking shall soon be banned in indoor work spaces and offenders risk a fine of up to 50 yuan. What’s more, a fine of up to 30,000 yuan will be slapped on business owners or operators if they fail to enforce the ban.

The regulation defines “non-smoking areas” where smoking shall be totally forbidden and “restricted smoking areas” where special smoking areas shall be set-up.

Non-smoking public places include:

- Indoor areas in public buildings (administrations)

- Indoor areas in hospitals, indoor and outdoor areas in women and children’s care centers, children’s hospitals

- Indoor and outdoor areas in kindergartens, schools, children’s palaces

- Indoor areas at education and training venues as well as places for teenager activities

- Indoor areas in cinemas, concert halls, libraries, exhibition halls, science centres, cultural centres, museums, art galleries, memorial halls, ect.

- Shopping malls and bookstores

- Indoor areas in financial, postal and communication places

- Tickets offices, indoor platforms and inside public buses, couches, taxis, ferries

- Auditoriums, sporting venues, indoor gymnasiums

- Indoor hotel lobbies, training centers and holiday resorts

- Escalators and elevators

- Other non-smoking areas according to law and regulations

Restricted smoking areas include:

- Restaurants of over 150 square metres or with over 75 seats

- Entertainment and gaming venues

- Indoor work spaces

- Waiting rooms of public buses, taxis, couches,metro, ferries, trains and airplanes

- Other restricted smoking areas according to law and regulations