Inspectors slap first fines on smoking ban in Lamia
One day after Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis officially launched the Health Ministry’s national action plan against smoking, inspectors and police officers imposed the first fines on a cafe owner and his customer in central Greece for flouting the ban.
Inspectors fined the customer 100 euros and the businessman 500, based on the upwardly revised charges announced by the government.
The same fines apply to closed office areas, all public transport, airports, train and bus stations, cafes, restaurants, bars and public service offices. Charges for those smoking in open-air leisure areas for children such as playgrounds as well as closed venues rise to 200 euros.
The inspection followed a call at the 1142 hotline established for people to report those violating the ban.
The smoking ban in all indoor public spaces was introduced more than a decade ago but has seen lax enforcement.
Presenting the Health Ministry’s new campaign on Tuesday, Mitsotakis said it has four main pillars of action: creating a non-smoking culture that emphasizes prevention; the protection of non-smokers; increasing medical support for smokers trying to quit; and evaluating new tobacco products and regulating their circulation on the market.
“The aim is not division but a new alliance for health,” he said.
