THE first few days of 2005 ignited irritation among smokers and non-smokers alike as new Government restrictions on smoking came into effect on January 1.
Smokers fumed about the fact of the new regulations. Non-smokers were annoyed that many places were not enforcing them.
The jokes and fun of the first few minutes of the New Year disappeared in the cold morning light of the following day as both smokers and owners of restaurants, cafes, clubs and hotels had their first encounters with inspectors from the Hygiene and Epidemiology Institute (HEI).
The stiff fines for offenders, however, will be imposed only after the end of January. HEI inspectors have been told to allow some leeway until people get used to the restrictions, and until owners install powerful ventilation systems and partitions between smoking and the non-smoking sections.
HEI director Georgi Kostov said that this would not mean that there would be no fines, but said they would be levied only in the event of serious violations.
Kostov said that until a ventilation system is installed, a place affected by the act must be solely non-smoking.
The fine for a smoker caught smoking in violation of the regulations is between 50 and 100 leva for a first offence, and 150 to 300 leva for following.
The fine for a first offence at a cafe or restaurant is the same, but there are stiffer fines for second offences, 500 to 1000 leva, and failure to comply with HEI instructions and recommendations means a penalty of up to 3000 leva.
On the first working day of the New Year, checks showed that only a few restaurants and cafes in Sofia had taken the first steps towards complying with the regulations.
Owners of small neghbourhood cafes and restaurants were quoted by Bulgarian-language media as saying that they would not comply with the regulations because they could not afford expensive ventilation systems, and would lose customers.
Others expressed concern that because of the vague definitions and major loopholes in the new regulations, HEI inspectors would practise a new form of blackmail.
Blagoi Ragin, chairperson of the Association of Restaurant and Hotel Owners, said that the Government had not discussed the restrictions with them before drafting the new regulations.
He said that a more appropriate idea would be to change the ratio of smoking and non-smoking tables from the current 50:50+1 to 3:1, which is more representative of the real proportion of smokers and non-smokers in the country.
Meanwhile, it emerged that the Government building in Sofia does not comply with the smoking restrictions.
The cafe in the basement did not have either separate tables for smokers and non-smokers nor a powerful ventilation system as required by law.
Government spokesperson Dimitar Tsonev said that the cafe was for smokers only, even though the regulations do not provide for such an option.
Tsonev said that there was a special room for the smokers who work in the building but did not clarify whether it has the proper ventilation system.
According to Tsonev, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg was to quit smoking his favourite cigarillos while at his office.
Smokers fumed about the fact of the new regulations. Non-smokers were annoyed that many places were not enforcing them.
The jokes and fun of the first few minutes of the New Year disappeared in the cold morning light of the following day as both smokers and owners of restaurants, cafes, clubs and hotels had their first encounters with inspectors from the Hygiene and Epidemiology Institute (HEI).
The stiff fines for offenders, however, will be imposed only after the end of January. HEI inspectors have been told to allow some leeway until people get used to the restrictions, and until owners install powerful ventilation systems and partitions between smoking and the non-smoking sections.
HEI director Georgi Kostov said that this would not mean that there would be no fines, but said they would be levied only in the event of serious violations.
Kostov said that until a ventilation system is installed, a place affected by the act must be solely non-smoking.
The fine for a smoker caught smoking in violation of the regulations is between 50 and 100 leva for a first offence, and 150 to 300 leva for following.
The fine for a first offence at a cafe or restaurant is the same, but there are stiffer fines for second offences, 500 to 1000 leva, and failure to comply with HEI instructions and recommendations means a penalty of up to 3000 leva.
On the first working day of the New Year, checks showed that only a few restaurants and cafes in Sofia had taken the first steps towards complying with the regulations.
Owners of small neghbourhood cafes and restaurants were quoted by Bulgarian-language media as saying that they would not comply with the regulations because they could not afford expensive ventilation systems, and would lose customers.
Others expressed concern that because of the vague definitions and major loopholes in the new regulations, HEI inspectors would practise a new form of blackmail.
Blagoi Ragin, chairperson of the Association of Restaurant and Hotel Owners, said that the Government had not discussed the restrictions with them before drafting the new regulations.
He said that a more appropriate idea would be to change the ratio of smoking and non-smoking tables from the current 50:50+1 to 3:1, which is more representative of the real proportion of smokers and non-smokers in the country.
Meanwhile, it emerged that the Government building in Sofia does not comply with the smoking restrictions.
The cafe in the basement did not have either separate tables for smokers and non-smokers nor a powerful ventilation system as required by law.
Government spokesperson Dimitar Tsonev said that the cafe was for smokers only, even though the regulations do not provide for such an option.
Tsonev said that there was a special room for the smokers who work in the building but did not clarify whether it has the proper ventilation system.
According to Tsonev, Prime Minister Simeon Saxe-Coburg was to quit smoking his favourite cigarillos while at his office.
