PETALING JAYA: More and more people appear to be ignoring the smoking ban in eateries as authorities concentrate on enforcing Covid-19 standard operating procedures.
Tobacco control expert Dr Zarihah Mohd Zain, a former health ministry official who helped draw up smoking regulations in Malaysia, said the trend was worrying.
“I guess there is a lack of enforcement against smoking at the designated smoking-free areas because all the attention is on controlling Covid-19 with authorities tasked with contact tracing and related responsibilities,” she told FMT.
Under the ban, in force since Jan 1, 2019, smokers cannot light up unless they are 3m or more from the tables in restaurants.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah recently told a newspaper that his ministry received 12,447 complaints of smoking offences at eateries nationwide when the movement control order was in force last year.
He said Selangor and Kuala Lumpur recorded the highest number of complaints, with 4,329 and 2,251 cases, respectively.
Noor Hisham said lack of enforcement was the main reason for the violations.
Zarihah urged authorities to continue publicising the ban and enforcing it.
She said smokers flouting the law must be punished to show the government’s commitment to enforcing the ban.
“There should be no mercy for smokers who violate this law,” she said.
She also said restaurant owners had the responsibility to act against patrons who smoked.
“Although they don’t have legal powers, they can certainly advise their customers.
“When their outlets get raided and people are caught violating the no-smoking law, both smokers and owners may be liable to punishment,” she said.
Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association president J Suresh told FMT that smokers might have forgotten about the ban as people were not allowed to dine inside restaurants during the lockdown.
He said restaurants owners were doing their best to ensure compliance by reminding patrons not to smoke inside their premises.
“We advise them and most of them follow the rule after that,” he said.-FMT