Egypt introduces Alexandria smoking ban
CAIRO. June 10. KAZINFORM Egypt, the biggest Arab consumer of cigarettes, is beginning an attempt to ban smoking in public places; Kazinform refers to BBC News.
Alexandria is to be Egypt's first no smoking city, beginning with a ban on lighting up in government buildings.
Egyptians smoke some 19 billion cigarettes each year, prompting concerns for public health.
And Egypt is a nation of smokers with traditional shisha water pipes found in many coffee shops, and persuading Egyptians to quit will be a challenge.
They say that within two years, the ban will be extended to include cafes.
Dr Hassan Salam from the University of Alexandria is heading the research.
"The statistics show that Egyptians smoke about 19 billion cigarettes a year. It's a big public health problem"; Kazinform cites BBC News. See www.news.bbc.co.uk for full version.