Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor said during the Committee of Supply debates on 7 March that smoking will be banned in more public places, with effect from 1 July 2022.
it will be banned at all the remaining public parks and gardens, as well as at all Active, Beautiful and Clean (ABC) water sites, and 10 recreational beaches.
The ABC water sites include the Kallang River, Bedok Reservoir and Alexandra Canal; and will also include canals and landmarks nearby suck as the Lorong Halus Bridge.
The 10 beaches that will be banning smoking include:
- Changi Beach
- East Coast Beach
- West Coast Beach
- Sembawang Beach
- Pasir Ris Beach
- Punggol Beach
- Beach areas on Coney Island
- Siloso Beach
- Tanjong Beach
- Palawan Beach on Sentosa
There will be a 3-month advisory period from July to September, before enforcement of the new law will take effect from 1 October onwards.
Those who breach the new ruling will face a fine of $200, or if they are convicted in court – a fine of up to $1,000.
Amy Khor also added that at present, there are no plans yet to set up additional non-smoking areas, as it requires significant buy-in from stakeholders and operational resources to implement.
She added that the government will have to make extensive plans to assess the suitability of sites in order to assign them as areas designated for smoking.