Shanghai bids to curtail a habit

In a bid to offer a smoke-free World Expo in 2010, Shanghai is likely to extend its no smoking ban from public venues to all indoor workplaces, the Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday.

New legislation will be discussed by the standing committee of the Shanghai People's Congress. If passed, it will replace the current regulation that only relates to no smoking in public places.

"All places with ceilings and at least three walls will be defined as indoor areas where smoking will be strictly prohibited," Li Mingzhu, director of the tobacco control office under the municipal health bureau, was quoted as saying.