Metro

No Smoking law not understood

Maydée Romero/ LA PRENSA

Conflict: When smokers and non-smokers dispute the rights to restaurant terraces, business owners get caught in the crossfire.1029831

Thirty days after the passage of a no smoking law that prohibits smoking in most public places, the owners, managers, and staff of numerous restaurants and bars have found themselves acting as mediators between their smoking and nonsmoking clients. They don't want to lose either.

The manager of the Friday's restaurant on the Amador causeway, Eduardo Duncan, says he's the one who has to deal with clients that don't have a clear understanding of the new smoking regulations. "Some clients say it's ok to smoke, and others complain. We've had to ask people to put out their cigarettes just to avoid conflicts."

Duncan asked authorities at the Ministerio de Salud (Minsa) to explain the particulars of the law to him.

Mayanín Rodríguez, Minsa's publicity director, said that smoking is indeed permitted in open areas with good ventilation and that her organization will hold a series of seminars about the new law to prevent further misunderstandings and conflicts. "We´re not trying to fence out smokers," she assured.