This isn’t a new news, but given that we Singaporeans have goldfish memory, it’s apt that news outlets are reporting about this again, lest you’re the type who’d buy a pack of cigarette and smoke to your heart’s content in Malaysia because it’s way cheaper up north.
On 11 Oct, Deputy Health Minister Lee Boon Chye announced that from 1 Jan onwards, Malaysia is going to do something drastic.
They’re going to enforce a nationwide smoking ban on restaurants, coffee shops and hawker stalls across the entire country.
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The ban will include:
- Air-conditioned restaurants
- Non-air-conditioned restaurants
- Coffee shops
- Open-air hawker centres
- Street stalls
They’re also pushing for open-air restaurants to be included in the list.
What’s The Ban For?
There are two points to the enforced ban: One, so that smokers might want to quit smoking.
And two, to protect non-smokers from secondhand smoke.
“No doubt smokers will say they have the right to smoke, but non-smokers also have the right to have smoke-free areas.”
In case you’re not aware, secondhand smoke is bad for you: you’re 20% to 30% more likely to develop lung cancer and cardiovascular disease if you’re exposed to secondhand smoke.
So, looking at the bigger picture, it’s actually a step into the right direction.
What Happens If You’re Caught Smoking At These Places
If you’re caught smoking at prohibited areas, you’ll be fined RM10,000 (S$3,300). If you’re a business and caught not enforcing this rule, you’ll be fined RM2,500 (S$830).
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So if you or your smoker friends go to JB often, you might want to let them know of this ruling.
After all, you don’t want to go into JB looking for some fun and laughter. Then, you get into trouble with the police for breaking a law, do you?
Nevermind, Let’s Pump Some Petrol There,Okay Right?
Now, if you’re a smoker and crying over that, but are still glad that you can drive in at 2:00 a.m. for some cheaper petrol, then this new news is going to make you cry even more.
You see, a weekly fuel price float is set to be implemented from 1 January 2019 as well. It takes a genius (okay, maybe just someone in the industry) to figure out that it might impact petrol stations, and therefore one of the measures that petrol stations might take is to cut down their opening hours from 24 hours to 18 hours.
Therefore, don’t be surprised if you see a petrol station that’s closed should you head up north.
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And of course, remember not to anyhowly smoke in eateries.
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