KUCHING, Jan 30: Kuching City South Commission (MBKS) enforcement officers will visiting shopping malls to check for ‘no smoking’ signs before extending the checks to small eateries or coffee shops.
“We will start with all the shopping malls. I have spoken to Saradise, GalaCity and CityOne Megamall.
“For Saradise, within this week, we will be sending our officers together with the owners to locate where is the location (for the signboard).
“For Vivacity, they already have one at the carpark there, so it is already done.
“After that, we will be moving into the very dense coffee shops or eatery areas,” he told reporters after chairing the MBKS council meeting today.
On Dec 20 last year, the Ministry of Health announced that smoking and vaping would be strictly prohibited in all food premises across Malaysia, effective Jan 1, 2020. All food premises across Sarawak are required to put up ‘no smoking’ signs in compliance with the smoking ban enforced under Control of Tobacco Product Regulations 2004 (Amendment 2018).
The smoking ban requires all food premises to display at least one standard ‘no smoking’ sign measuring 40 centimetres (cm) x 50cm, and can no longer provide ashtrays or other objects which allow smokers to dispose of cigarette butts. Thus, smokers who wish to light up must keep a distance of at least three metres from a food premises.
On another note, Wee said MBKS does not foresee the need for hawkers to provide straws for patrons at hawker centres.
Nonetheless, he said the council will ask its councillors to hold dialogues with the owners of the hawker centres, adding that the public needs to be patient with the council and provide one to two months for them to settle the issue.
Apart from that, Wee disclosed that there is no need for the council to dismantle an overhead bridge across Jalan Tun Jugah outside Galacity as it does not obstruct traffic.
He revealed that according to a public poll, the majority of responsdents do not want the overhead or pedestrian bridge to be dismantled. — DayakDaily
