France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children, like beaches, parks and bus stops, the health and family minister said on Thursday.
‘Where there are children, tobacco must disappear where there are children,’ Catherine Vautrin said in an interview published by the regional Ouest-France.
She added that that the restrictions will come into force on July 1.
Failure to comply with the ban could result in a £114 fine, the minister said, adding that children have the ‘right to breathe clean air.’
Cigarettes will also be banned in areas close to schools to prevent students from ‘smoking in front of their establishments.’
France will ban smoking in all outdoor places that can be frequented by children
The ban does not apply to cafe terraces or to electronic cigarettes.
But the Health Ministry is working to ‘lower the permitted nicotine level’ in electronic smoking devices, and is aiming to ‘reduce the number of flavours.’
