Shanghai leads nation in regulating outdoor smoking spots

The nation's first regional standard to regulate the installation and design of outdoor smoking spots will go into practice in Shanghai on Sunday, the Shanghai Health Commission said.

The move is to boost the city's campaign on smoking control, which includes a complete ban on indoor smoking, encouraging people not to smoke while walking, and smoking only in designated places, officials said.

According to the standard, a smoking spot should be at least six meters from any building entrance, windows, doors, and air intakes or outlets.

The spots should be installed neither in public rest or waiting areas where people gather or in main pedestrian passages, nor in enclosed spaces with poor ventilation. They should cover no less than six square meters.

The quantity and density of spots should be controlled in line with nearby human flow and buildings and the quantity should be controlled to the minimum.

There should be containers for ashes and butts, and proper fire extinguishing equipment.

Outdoor smoking spots should only have the single function, without other facilities such as desks, chairs, or vending machines. Warnings on the harms of smoking and health service guidance on smoking-cessation should be available.

The rule also regulates the standard bilingual logos and signs on outdoor smoking.

By the end of this year, a total of 300 standard outdoor smoking spots would be established in major public venues such as commercial sites, parks, exhibition and performance venues, museums, sports venues, traffic hubs, and riverside places along the Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, the commission said.