Bars fail to display required smoking signs

Many Prague bars and restaurants were slow in putting up signs indicating whether smoking was permitted in their establishments despite it being mandatory from July 1.

The new law stipulates that restaurants and bars had to display a sticker on their entrances indicating whether smoking is permitted on their premises.

Establishments that designate themselves as smoking will be able to set up nonsmoking areas on the condition that the area is enclosed.

The new law permits smoking at tram and bus stops but not in the enclosed shelters.

Not displaying a notice or sticker at the entrance of a bar or restaurant could prove costly and carries a potential 5,000 Kč ($243) fine. Nonetheless, a cursory glance at a number of restaurants and bars in central Prague showed few displaying the notices.

A poll conducted by students of the Medical Faculty of Prague's Charles University revealed that more than a half of respondents wanted an absolute ban on smoking in restaurants and bars.

This is not likely to be introduced anytime soon, despite the fact that a number of European countries have introduced a total ban on smoking in public places.

The Czech Republic is the last EU country not to have ratified the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Medical figures suggest that 5,300 people die from lung cancer annually in the Czech Republic. Another 2,500 suffer lung inflammation every year, with 2,000 falling victim to chronic obstructive lung disease.

It is illegal for people under 18 to smoke, but a recent survey cited by the World Health Organization survey found that 7 percent of underage girls and 12 percent of underage boys smoke in the Czech Republic.

Before the legislation came into effect, doctor and anti-smoking campaigner Eva Králíková said the new law was an "unnecessary" step that fell far short of what was required.

Boris Šťastný, the Civic Democratic Party deputy who introduced the amendment, defended the law, saying it protects nonsmokers in enclosed areas, such as bars, restaurants and covered bus/tram stops.

However, Šťastný is continuing to fight for a total ban on smoking in public places.

Tom Clifford can be reached at
tclifford@praguepost.com