The city's new ban on smoking is part of the government's plans to improve public health
Hong Kong has followed the lead of European countries and several major US cities, and banned smoking in most public areas.
Under the new laws, smoking will be illegal in all indoor workplaces and public venues, including restaurants and beaches, and some parks, karaoke clubs and bars.
The new law took effect on New Year's Day. To ensure the law is obeyed, the Department of Health held an inter-departmental meeting with the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), the police, customs and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department to discuss their co-ordination in enforcing the extended ban.
Leung Ting-hung, deputy director of the health department said its Tobacco Control Office had doubled the number of officers, from 30 to 60, to deal with the increased workload.
Over the past few months, the office has given talks to the catering and entertainment industries, and frontline LCSD staff. Venue managers should now understand their role in enforcing the new ban. Under the law, venue managers have the right to ask people smoking in no-smoking areas to show their identity cards. If smokers refuse to show ID cards they can be fined up to HK$10,000, double the maximum penalty for breaching the smoking ban.