Czech Republic - some restaurants go smoke free as of July 1, 2010..

March 24, 2010 - Smoking is already banned on trains, trams and buses, and is increasingly rare in the workplace. But pubs, restaurants and cafes are still overwhelmingly smoker-friendly. From July 1st they’ll be obliged to put a sticker on the door to say whether the establishment is smoking, non-smoking or mixed with a separate smoke-free room. Analysts predict that most will choose the first option, in a bid not to lose customers. (Czech Republic - crackdown on tobacco use long way off..)


Smoking will not be allowed in more than half of restaurants in Prague and also in a vast majority of Czech luxurious restaurants as of July in connection with a new law, Pavel Hlinka, Czech Hotels and Restaurants Association, told yesterday's issue of the daily Pravo.

As of July, Czech restaurant owners must decide whether they allow or ban smoking in their facilities. They also can have separate smoking and non-smoking rooms that are not connected.

Hlinka said village pubs where men play cards over a beer and cigarette rather than eat a meal will allow smoking. He claimed that it would destroy many marriages if men were not allowed to smoke in village pubs because they would relax at home, smoking and drinking. People in more expensive village restaurants often do not smoke even now, he told the paper. He said most hotels already banned smoking some time ago because their guests prefer a no-smoking environment.

Reference: Právo: Most restaurants smoke-free by July, Prague Daily Monitor, 3/16/2010.

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