4 days ago
Brits face SMOKING BAN in Spain with lighting up around the pool, in outdoor clubs & even on sunny terraces outlawed
BRITS heading to Spain this summer may be in for a surprise as a tough new smoking ban has been proposed - applying to even terraces, swimming pools and open-air nightclubs.
The measure was inspired by an anti-smoking plan aimed at expanding smoke-free zones across Spain.
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The purpose of the law is to extend smoke-free zones to include terraces, bus stops, work vehicles, university campuses, communal swimming pools and open-air nightclubs.
Spain's Minister of Health Mónica García told El Pais that she was pushing for the measure so that "Spain can once again be at the forefront of anti-tobacco policies."
She added: "I hope we don't give in to the lobbies that are exerting significant pressure, as they always have.
"And the tobacco lobby is doing its job. But ours is to defend the health of the population, of the citizens."
Spain's Ministry of Health confirmed the measure today and the bill awaits approval from Spain's Council of Ministers followed by the country's parliament.
There, it will have to be agreed by other parties before it is made an official law.
While this smoking ban will be nationwide, bans have recently been implemented across Spanish beaches.
A smoking ban on L'Albir, a popular beach in Alicante, was announced in March.
The mayor of L'Alfas Vincente Arques said: "This measure is part of the council's policy to position ourselves as a benchmark for healthy international tourism."
It comes as the country has been hit by a wave of protests against overtourism.
Thousands flooded the streets of the Canary Islands in mid-May in Spain's third wave of protests this year.
Protests have taken place in Tenerife, Fuerteventura, Ela Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, and Lanzarote.
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