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Beijing Bans Public Smoking, but Enforcement Poses a Challenge

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A new ban on smoking in public took effect in the Chinese capital, Beijing, aimed at ending the era outdoor tobacco use.

The estimated four million smokers in the city — one-fifth of the population — will not be able to smoke in enclosed public space, including offices, shops, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, airports and trains. Some outdoor spaces are required to be smokefree now too, including areas outside schools and hospitals as well as some tourist sites.

This is not the first time that there has been a smoking ban in effect. The municipal government has banned smoking twice before — in 1996 and before the 2008 Olympic Games.

You can read more about this story on The New York Times.