BRATISLAVA, Slovakia—A new, partial ban on smoking was approved by Slovakian MPs on Feb. 17. Restaurant owners will have to hide their smoking customers behind walls, while at least half of the floor area should be reserved for non-smokers. The bill, awaiting final approval by the President, should protect the health of around 62 percent of non-smoking citizens in the country.
Bars and cafes without cooked foods can still choose to be for smokers or non-smokers, a decision criticized by anti-smoking groups. However, smoking will be prohibited in public buildings, cinemas, theaters, or bus stops. Cigarette vending machines will be forbidden as well.
Slovakia is following a suite of other European countries which have already passed partial or total bans of smoking in public.
According to surveys, the number of adult smokers is slowly decreasing in Slovakia, but cigarettes are getting more popular among teenagers. Most people take up the habit before the age of 15, almost half of whom are female.
