It’s been prohibited to smoke in bars, pubs, restaurants and in front of the entrances of public buildings for 2 months. In the experience of ÁNTSZ (National Public Health and Medical Officer Service), most places comply with the restrictions but a lot of people still smoke in the bus stops. Until the end of March, the authorities only warn those who smoke in non-smoking places, they don’t give fines. But from April on, fines of up to millions of forints can be imposed. The restrictions mean a great deal of extra work for the ÁNTSZ staff. Ten officers check the places of entertainment and the institutions in Debrecen- 257 have been checked so far. The authorities found that most palces complied with the ban. Gabriella Lajkó sub-regional Chief Medical Officer of ÁNTSZ said that in some places the lack of pictograms caused problems.
ÁNTSZ doesn’t punish anyone until the end of March but from April on, private individuals ignoring the ban may get fines of up to 20 thousand forints while institutions may be fined up to 2.5 million forints.
Source: dehir.hu
