The Law on Tobacco Control is obeyed by the largest part of the cafés, bars and restaurants, said Ghenadie Turcanu, programs coordinator of the Center for Health Policies and Studies, quoted by IPN.
In a news conference at IPN, Turcanu presented the conclusion reached by volunteers of a number of nongovernmental organizations and civic activists, who monitored these places in Chisinau and Balti municipalities between September 23 and November 6.
The cafés, bars and restaurants were visited during high attendance hours, namely at lunch time (1pm – 2pm) and in the evening (6pm and 10pm). 80% of these (188) were visited between 6pm and 10pm.
It was established that the absolute majority (96%) of public eating places respect the law and have No Smoking signs at the entrance, in the most visible place.
No one smoked in 92% of the monitored cafés, bars and restaurants. In 8% of these places (18 in Chisinau and two in Balti), there were identified persons smoking inside (19 cases) and a separate area for smoking (1 case). Ash trays were found in 5% of the units (11 in Chisinau and one in Balti).
When the manager or waiter was asked if smoking inside is allowed, these gave an affirmative answer in 8% of the places (18 in Chisinau and two in Balti). However, 15 of the 20 places where smoking was detected had the No Smoking sign at the entrance.
It was also ascertained that in almost all the places (99%), the law that bans advertising and promotion of tobacco products is successfully implemented. Only in one café in Chisinau municipality, tobacco products were promoted through luminescent devices. In another café in Balti, those who bought tobacco products were offered lighters as a present.
The group of volunteers and civic activists also highlighted that many of the public eating units in the municipalities of Chisinau and Balti do not obey the legal provisions and do not issue sales slips when tobacco products and other products and services provided for consumers are paid for.
“As a result of the monitoring, 20 complaints about violation of the law were compiled and submitted to the local public health centers, 18 in Chisinau and two in Balti. We are glad that these reacted appropriately. Today we received an answer from Balti, about the imposition of a fine of 7,000 lei (35 conventional units) on a café, in accordance with the Contravention Code,” said Turcanu.
The monitoring covered closed places only, without the terraces and other open areas of public eating places.
The monitored places were chosen at random out of 682 places of Chisinau and Balti municipalities. In the municipality of Chisinau, there were monitored 120 cafés, 56 bars and 28 restaurants, while in Balti - 16 cafés, 11 bars and four restaurants.
The monitoring involved volunteers of the Medical Students and Residents Association, the Center or Health Policies and Studies, the Platform for Active Citizenship and Partnership for Human Rights and civic activists of Chisinau and Balti municipalities.
The monitoring was possible through the Smoke Free Moldova project that is financed by “Campanian fos Tobacco-Free Kids” and ”Bloomberg Philanthropies” and is implemented by the Center for Health Policies and Studies.
