Smoking stops in Taipei

From the start of next year, tobacco smoking will be forbidden at all 932 bus stops in the Taiwanese capital Taipei, according to a Focus Taiwan News Channel story quoting a city health department announcement on Monday.

The new provisions will expand an existing ban that currently applies to 155 bus stops on 15 dedicated bus lanes.

No penalties will be applied in respect of violations of the new provisions between January 1 and March 1, but after that violations will be punished with fines of between NT$2,000 (US$62.24) and NT$10,000, the department said.

Also on Monday, the department said the city’s smoking ban on sidewalks adjacent to schools had been expanded to include a further 31 schools, bringing the total number covered by the ban to 267.