More cafes are smoke free, but 35% still break the rules

Some 73% of the Netherlands’ bars, cafes and clubs now ban smoking, up from 61% at the end of last year, according to new figures from the health and safety inspectorate.

Nevertheless, 35% of cafes still break the rules, compared with 43% at the end of last year, the figures show. The number of cafes with special sealed-off smoking areas has doubled.

Inspectors carried out checks on 7,500 establishments this spring and handed out 700 warnings and fines.

At the moment, smoking is permitted in small bars and cafes which are run by their owners but the government is planning to reinstate the ban across the entire hospitality sector next year.

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