Provide designated smoking areas, suggests association
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah West Coast Coffee Shop Association hopes that the State Government will provide designated smoking areas following the enforcement of smoking ban at public eateries in Sabah starting February 1.
Its chairman Yong Chee Yun said countries like Japan only allowed smokers to light up in designated areas.
“Smokers in a Japan are not allowed to smoke on the streets.
“They can only smoke in the designated smoking areas,” he said when contacted yesterday.
Yong said his members would abide by the smoking ban but at the same time, the association hoped that the government could set up designated smoking areas.
He added that customers would go outside to smoke now.
“I believe a lot of non-smoking customers agree with the smoking ban in public eateries.”
On another note, he said coffee shops that sold cigarettes had seen a drop in sales since January 1 when the smoking ban was announced by the Federal Government.
Meanwhile, both Kedai Kopi Melanian and Kedai Kopi Kun Hin in the city supported the smoking ban, saying their premises were much cleaner without cigarette butts littering the floor.
In fact, Mdm Lui, who operates Kedai Kopi Melanian, said the shop had put up the ‘No Smoking’ sign five years ago for the sake of children and non-smokers.
“We had seen parents struggling to find a table that was far away from smokers to prevent their children or babies from inhaling second-hand smoke.
“Besides, some smokers tend to stub out their cigarettes on our tables, chairs, plastic saucers or bowls,” she said.
Lui said some customers were unhappy when the smoking ban was first introduced by the shop five years ago and argued that the premises should not have done so as it was not air-conditioned.
Now, she said the regular customers would know to go outside if they wanted to smoke, while tourists would also do the same upon seeing the ‘No Smoking’ signs on the walls.
“The smoking ban has been effective in maintaining the cleanliness of our floors as there are no cigarette butts.”
She suggested the relevant authority provide rubbish bins with ashtray on the streets for smokers to stub out their cigarettes to prevent them from littering.
Mazrinah Yahya, 26, a cashier at Kedai Kopi Kun Hin, also supported the smoking ban as many of the customers were children and pregnant women.
She said the shop had put up the ‘No Smoking’ signs on December 31 last year, which angered some of the customers.
“We tried to explain to the customers and most of them accepted the smoking ban.
“Now the customers go outside to smoke.
“For those who want to light up inside the premises, we will insist that they step outside,” she said.
Health and People’s Wellbeing Minister Datuk Stephen Wong Tien Fatt yesterday announced that the State Government would enforce the nationwide smoking ban at public eateries in Sabah on February 1 following an earlier State Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Shafie Apdal on the same day.
However, the ban, which is regulated under the Control of Tobacco Product Regulations (Amendments) 2018, will undergo an educational enforcement period from February 1 to June 30, during which no compounds will be issued.
Wong said compounds would only be issued to wrongdoers from July 1.