Last Updated on 2016-05-20 , 9:36 am
Smokers take note! Starting very soon, the smoking ban in Singapore will be expanded to ensure that the effects of second hand smoke do not affect non-smokers. That also means that you will possibly have to walk farther away now from wherever you are to indulge in your habit.
This was announced by Senior Minister of State for the Enivironment and Water Resources Amy Khor in Parliament on 14th March 2016, following a suggestion by Member of Parliament (Nee Soon GRC) Louis Ng’s to include the areas within a 5 metre radius of playgrounds or exercise areas.
As of today, non-smoking zones include shopping malls, hospitals, schools, bus stops, covered walkways and common areas of residential estates and buildings, playgrounds and exercise areas. Once the ban on expansion starts, the coverage is going to be even larger. Anyone who is caught smoking at these areas will be dealt a fine of up to S$1,000.
While all these are done in a bid to curb smoking to protect those who do not smoke from the effects of second hand smoke, which poses just as serious a health risk as first-hand smoke, it is not done in bad taste. After all, the idea of a smoke-free Singapore has been in the pipelines for some time now. So besides making sure that the non-smokers are kept away from the smoke, it is also meant to deter littering and make it easier for the authorities to keep up with the minority who consistently flout the rules.
For those of you who cannot do without your cigarettes, I would advise you to either start cutting down now or just stop altogether because it seems that one fine day, perhaps Singapore will no longer allow smoking at all on our island city.
Or maybe they will set up smoking boxes that will only accommodate one person each time so you don’t have all the time in the world to take a leisurely puff anymore. With the way our country has been working, it really won’t come as a big surprise.
Even though no timeline has been given so far, I highly suspect it won’t be take very long now before this rule is finally set in place. And when that happens and you are nowhere near reducing the number of sticks puffed or close to quitting, you might be in trouble.
Otherwise, expect to clock some walking miles every day while you are at it. Perhaps after all that exercise, you may seriously consider getting rid of the habit once and for all.
Top Image: Lucy Liu / Shutterstock.com
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