Malaysia to enforce smoke, vape ban in eateries starting 2020

Kuala Lumpur: Smoking and vaping will be strictly prohibited in all eateries across Malaysia from 2020 onwards, the health ministry has announced.

Health deputy minister Dr Lee Boon Chye has warned that offenders would be slapped with a fine of RM250 ($60.40).

“If stubborn (and) not paying up, a fine of up to RM10,000 can be imposed,” Malaysian news agency BERNAMA quoted him as saying.

According to Dr Lee, the no-smoking movement over the past year had significantly reduced the number of smokers in eateries, especially in urban areas.

“We hope that this policy will gain a lot of support from the public. For the non-smokers, of course, they are quite happy (but) for the smokers, I do hope that they would take this opportunity to quit smoking, reduce smoking, or at least have a habit to not smoke in front of other people,” he said.

Around 21 per cent of Malaysian adults smoke.