Ordos bans officials smoking in public

Officials in Ordos are prohibited from smoking in public and while dealing with governmental affairs, with a special ban on leaders doing this, according to a recent notice issued by the city government.

The notice is, of course, not the first of its kind to be introduced in China. As early as 2013, the State Council issued a ban on officials, especially leaders, smoking in public.

The local authority in Ordos, in Inner Mongolia autonomous region, is acting to reaffirm and strengthen such measures with the aim of building a “health city” and a credible government. 

According to the statement, leaders of departments in government should fully realize the significance of not smoking in public places, such as schools, hospitals, stadiums and public buses. They should play an exemplary role and try to dissuade others from smoking when they see such behavior in public.

Cigarette advertisements should be banned in offices, and “no smoking” should be put up in prominent places, the notice says.

Authorities at different levels should resort to various media forms to promote the building of a no-smoking public environment. Staff members should be designated to assume the duty of stopping people from smoking in public.

The notice also suggests hospitals can include smoking addiction in the medical history of a patient who seeks advice on how to give up smoking, so as to establish a more professional system to help people stop smoking.

Additionally, isolated smoking areas can be set up, according to the notice.