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July 28th, 2012:

Department will enforce smoking ban

SCMP Letters  28 July 2012

I refer to Pang Chi-ming’s letter (“Officials need to enforce smoking ban”, July 14).

We share your correspondent’s view that cooked food centres and public markets should be kept smoke-free.

To achieve this, authorised staff of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will take enforcement actions whenever smoking activities are spotted during their daily patrols.

Furthermore, joint blitz operations with the Tobacco Control Office to further deter people from smoking are being arranged in these venues from time to time.

To remind market-goers and diners, warning notices as well as life-size signs featuring tobacco control inspectors are also displayed at conspicuous places, such as lift lobbies and along the escalators. This is what is being done in the Shek Wu Hui Market Cooked Food Centre in Sheung Shui, the centre referred to by your correspondent.

We will continue to take appropriate actions to keep cooked food centres smoke-free.

Chu Kam-chong, district environmental hygiene superintendent (North), Food and Environmental Hygiene Department