Date for smoking ban is delayed - The National

A national ban on smoking in public places will be delayed while it is decided which government bodies will be responsible for enforcing various parts of the legislation, health officials said yesterday.

Key players involved in drafting the anti-smoking regulations told The National that the public will be fully informed once the details have been worked out, which could take weeks or months.

Discussions between bodies such as the Ministry of Health, police and individual municipalities will lead to decisions on how and when parts of the law come into force.

The Ministry of Health revealed some details of the new law last month but said the full system of rules would be outlined in an appendix to be released later this year.

Dr Mahmoud Fikri, the ministry’s director of health legislation and policies, asked people to wait for clarification from the Government.

“There are many details to be finished,” he said. “Technical committees will be set up to establish exactly how the law will be implemented.”

Dr Wedad al Maidoor, the head of the National Tobacco Control Committee said: “We understand that some people might be confused, as it a very comprehensive law. We are going to plan awareness campaigns when we have done the appendix. We will know then what the public need to know.”