Addis Ababa (AFP) - An Ethiopian
city has banned smoking in public places with fines more than an
average monthly wage, the first city in the country to do so, reports
said Tuesday.
The decision by
the northeastern city of Mekele, capital of the Tigray region, makes
smoking illegal in bars, restaurants, schools and hospitals, as well as
outdoors in stadiums and during religious festivals.
Advertising tobacco is also banned, Ethiopian media reported.
Fines
have been set at $50 for individuals and $150 for owners of bars or
restaurants, a stiff punishment in a country where average monthly
salaries are less than $40, according to the World Bank.
Ethiopia's
parliament last year voted to ban smoking in public places to combat
tobacco-related diseases, but the law had not been enforced until now.
Nearly one in 10 young Ethiopians smoke, according to the World Health Organization.
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