No-smoking areas may be expanded

Smoking prohibitions could be extended to include areas within five metres of playgrounds or exercise areas, said Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor in Parliament yesterday.

Responding to Member of Parliament (Nee Soon GRC) Louis Ng’s suggestion to include the areas within a 5m radius of playgrounds or exercise areas, Dr Khor said her ministry is monitoring the situation and is looking to expand non-smoking areas. She did not give a timeline as to when details will be announced.

Noting that the ministry’s long-term goal is to prohibit smoking in all public places to protect non-smokers from the harmful effects of second-hand smoke, Dr Khor said smoking is already prohibited in more than 32,000 premises.

These include shopping malls, hospitals, schools, bus stops, covered walkways and common areas of residential premises or buildings. Playgrounds and exercise areas are also places where smoking is currently prohibited, she added. Anyone convicted of smoking in a prohibited place can be fined up to S$1,000.

“To protect users of such facilities against second-hand smoke, the smoking prohibition is applicable to any sidewalk, chair, bench or amenity adjacent to the playground or exercise area,” she added.

Dr Khor said all stakeholders have to play their part in exercising civic-mindedness and social responsibility. She urged smokers not to light up near playgrounds or within prohibited areas.

“If there are actually cases like that, perhaps a gentle, polite reminder, asking the smoker to move away may well do the trick,” she said. SIAU MING EN