8 Mar 2012, 10.24AM
In the coming year, smokers will have fewer public places to light up at as the smoking ban will be extended to common corridors, void decks, staircases of residential buildings, sheltered walkways, overhead bridges and outdoor hospital compounds. Smoking will also be prohibited within a five-metre radius around bus shelters. Smoking is currently not allowed in most indoor public areas and on all public transport.
This move follows a public consultation exercise last year by the National Environment Agency (NEA) and Health Promotion Board (HPB), which attracted 8,000 respondents with 89% of them supporting an extension of the smoking ban. About 85% wanted the extension to include residential buildings.
Senior Minister of State (Environment and Water Resources) Grace Fu, told Parliament that the implementation of this move will be refined in consultation with the community and building owners. The long-term goal is to prohibit smoking in all public places except at designated smoking areas."Our aim, in collaboration with HPB, is to work towards a future where Singaporeans consider smoking not only detrimental to health, but also socially unacceptable", she said.