Public smoking crackdown in Shenzhen

A police crackdown on public-places tobacco smoking in a major Chinese city on Saturday resulted in just 37 people being fined, according to an Ecns.cn report quoting the Guangzhou Daily.

The raids came exactly a week after authorities in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, introduced new anti-smoking regulations.

Most of the offenders were discovered in restaurants and hospitals.

They were each fined CNY50 (US$8.16), the minimum fine.

The maximum fine for an individual is CNY500, while venue owners face fines of up to CNY30,000.

Under the new regulations, also, people who publish advertisements for tobacco products or entice others to smoke can be fined up to CNY100,000.

The new regulations are said to ban smoking in 16 types of places, including kindergartens, health facilities and parks.

But entertainment venues are exempt until the end of 2016.