Milan says no to all outdoor smoking in Italy’s toughest ban

MILAN, Italy: Smokers in Italy´s financial and fashion capital of Milan risk being fined for lighting up on city streets or crowded public areas, after the country´s toughest ban comes into effect on Wednesday.

Those who defy the new prohibition in the polluted northern Italian city could be fined between 40 to 240 euros ($41 to $249), a punishment that does not sit well with all residents.

“The new law is excessive in my opinion. I agree not to smoke indoors, not to smoke near an elderly person or a child, but banning smoking outdoors for me somewhat limits a person´s freedom,” local plumber Morgan Ishak, 46, told AFP ahead of the ban.

Milan´s air quality ordinance, passed in 2020 by the city council, called for progressively stricter bans on smoking.

Starting in 2021, it was forbidden to smoke in parks and playgrounds as well as bus stops and sports facilities.

The latest smoking ban, effective January 1, applies to “all public spaces, including streets”, with the exception of “isolated places where it is possible to maintain a distance of at least 10 metres from other people”, according to the text.

Local officials say the measure is aimed at reducing particulates in the air to “improve the quality of the city´s air, to protect the health of citizens, including protection from passive smoking in public places, also frequented by children”, according to a statement.