Shanghai authorities want to introduce no-smoking areas to city restaurants from July ahead of next year's "smoke-free" Beijing Olympics.

 

A program will train restaurant operators how to set up no-smoking areas for the sake of people's health, the Shanghai Association on Smoking Control said yesterday.

 

2008 Beijing Olympics organizers pledge all facilities used by Olympic athletes will be non-smoking, including restaurants.

 

Some preliminary contests will be held in Shanghai, as well as October's Special Olympics, and smoking controllers in the city are keen to implement measures before then.

 

"So far restaurants with standard no-smoking areas are relatively few in Shanghai compared to other metropolises," said Li Mingzhu, head of the smoking control association.

 

A random association survey last year of 50 city restaurants with more than 100 seats found none with smoke-free zones.

 

"Ten of them on Huaihai Road (in Luwan District) claimed to have set up the no-smoking area later on," said Li. "But the so-called no-smoking area still cannot keep away the smoke effectively due to the lack of separation facilities."

 

Also, some restaurants with no-smoking areas have a loose interpretation of their own rules.

 

Last year, 13 restaurants were recognized as anti-smoking units in Luwan District.

 

However, "some of them withdraw their no-smoking signs when they are busy at the weekends," said Hu Changhong, an official with the district's office for Patriotic Health Campaign.

 

An employee of one of the 13 restaurants said sometimes his hands were tied when it came to implementing no-smoking zones.

 

"When customers insist on smoking at the no-smoking area when there's no vacancy elsewhere, it is really hard for us to forbid them from smoking," said Yan Dongmei, who works in Taihuchuancai.

 

Duan Fugen, an official with the Shanghai Restaurant Association, said smoking regulations are tough to enforce.

 

"We don't have legal backing to regulate smoking control in restaurants," said Duan. "They (the restaurants) need profits and the only thing we can do is publicize the anti-smoking concept."

 

"So it is really hard to say how much success the program will have."

 

The program aims to have all the restaurants designated to serve the Olympics and Special Olympics equipped with smoke-free areas.

 

"Shanghai is representative of the country's image especially as the 'no-smoking Olympics' is being advocated," said Li from the smoking control association.

 

Smoking is the main cause of lung cancer, which kills more people in China than any other cancer.

 

(Shanghai Daily May 25, 2007)