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City malls set to ban smoking from Friday

The municipality, in coordination with the Department of Health and Medical Services, has formed a technical inspection team to take necessary steps with regard to enforcing the ban in restaurants and coffee shops. Shopping malls in Dubai have already pledged their commitment to enforce the ban.

The municipality clarified that smokers would initially be allowed to have dedicated areas for smoking inside shopping malls before a total ban comes into force in accordance with the local order.

Abdullah Rafeeu, Assistant Director-General of Dubai Municipality for Environment and Public Health Affairs, said the smoking ban is not some thing new. Already it has been banned in entertainment facilities within the city. “This forms part of the steps taken by the municipality towards banning smoking in all public places,” he said.

Rafeeu noted that the campaign is accompanied by a massive public awareness campaign, which involves distribution of some 5,000 stickers, bilingual advertisements in the local media as well as radio and television advertisements.

He added that the Local Order No. 11 of 2003 stipulates that in order to protect public health, the competent authority (the municipality) can introduce necessary measures for banning smoking in public places such as mass transit, shopping centres, entertainment locations, restaurants and coffee shops.

It is also legally possible to ban smoking in other places where the smoking may cause any harm to the non-smokers or if that will encourage young children to smoke.

Salem Mesmar, Director of Public Health Department at Dubai Municipality, said the civic body had been in close coordination with the Dubai Shopping Malls Group for some time regarding the enforcement of the ban and the response from various malls in the city had been positive.

“Recently we have held a meeting with representatives of shopping malls in Dubai. We also held meetings with some restaurants, cafes and five-star hotels in order to facilitate the ban,” said Mesmar.

He said the shopping malls would initially be allowed to have a dedicated area for smokers until a decision on a total ban is taken. However, restaurants and cafes inside the malls may consider arranging separate seating areas for smokers provided they fulfil certain technical requirements with regard to ventilation and air-conditioning systems. These arrangements can be made in coordination with the municipality engineers, he said.

• UAE