The Health Bureau (SSM) said in a statement yesterday that its anti-smoking inspectors patrolled 275,059 times at venues across the city last year.
According to the statement, the inspectors increased their frequency by 92,839 times year-on-year. The statement noted that, on average, the inspectors patrolled 754 times per day last year. The statement added that in 2021 the inspectors issued 1,987 fines for reasons such as illegal smoking (1,987 fines), illegal selling of e-cigarettes (two fines) and just one case of the illegal sale of cigarettes to persons under the age of 18.
The statement underlined that last month the bureau identified 83 smoking “blackspots”, such as the terrace of Lok Kuan Building in Coloane’s Seac Pai Van public housing estate, the Wang Hoi and Wang Kin estates’ leisure areas in Fai Chi Kei, and Mocha Kuong Fat in the city centre. The statement pointed out that the inspectors patrolled these blackspots 320 times and issued 44 fines last month.
Meanwhile, the statement said that 1,742 (87.7 percent of the total) of last year’s offenders had already paid their fines, adding that most fines last year were issued in restaurants (16.5 percent), shops and malls (13.9 percent), and parks and leisure areas (11.1 percent)
The statement also said that the anti-smoking inspectors collaborated with the Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) and patrolled Macau’s gaming venues 603 times where they issued 132 fines last year.
Moreover, the statement said that in total the anti-smoking inspection office received 1,627 phone calls – 643 enquiries, 930 complaints and 164 calls from residents providing feedback last year.
The Health Bureau reminded residents that with the exception of the airport and local casinos that have officially designated smoking lounges, all indoor smoking has been banned and the non-smoking areas at bus stops cover 10 metres on either side. The statement stressed that violators are fined 1,500 patacas. For more information, residents can call 2855 6789.
