Posted at 11:25 a.m., Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Olympics: Beijing wants to cut smoking in hotels
Advertiser Staff
BEIJING — Beijing wants to increase the number of smoke-free hotel rooms available for the Olympics in August.The number of smoke-free rooms will be increased to 70 percent, according to a notice today on the Web site of the city's legislative affairs office.
The anti-smoking initiative is the latest development as Beijing officials move to keep fans from lighting up when the Olympics starts Aug. 8. Legislation already exists that bans smoking in public places, but enforcement is uneven. Smoking indoors is common in China.
Smoking should be banned indoors at hospitals, government and private offices, and hotels and restaurants, as well as other places, the notice said. It also should be banned indoors and outdoors in schools, sport and fitness centers, cultural-protected areas, cinemas and other public places.
According to the 2003 statistics from the World Health Organization, 57 percent of men in China over the age of 15 are smokers.
China banned smoking in taxis last October, but has not put in place a wider smoking ban for the city, despite promises for a smoke-free Olympics.
