PRIME Minister Moses Nagamootoo on Monday received a batch of ‘NO SMOKING’ signs which will be mounted at public places.

The signs were presented by Dr William Adu-Krow, PAHO/WHO Guyana Representative, as a contribution towards building awareness against smoking at public places. Also present were Mrs Karen Roberts from the Non-Communicable Diseases Department of the Ministry of Public Health, and senior officials of the Office of the Prime Minister.

In July 2017, Guyana’s National Assembly approved the Tobacco Control Bill, which paved the way for a commencement order with effect from December 11, 2017. One of the signs, to be mounted at Parliament Buildings, reads: “NO SMOKING ALLOWED: We made the Law!”, and the other, for posting at other public places, states: “No Smoking Permitted within five metres of the boundary of these premises”.

Under the law, no person is permitted to smoke in any waiting area or queue in a public place, and at an amusement park, any stadium and outside the boundary of educational and health care facilities. The law also places a ban on advertising cigarettes, and the promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products. (DPI)