KUALA LUMPUR: Business at restaurants has dropped drastically since eateries were gazetted as no smoking zones from Jan 1. Malaysian Indian Restaurant Owners Association vice-president Krishnan R.C said trade at eateries, especially those with an open air concept, had dropped more than 35 per cent since the smoking ban was enforced. The move has also seen some restaurant owners feeling the pinch financially, he said. Malaysia lacks the awareness of smoking hazards unlike other developed countries which have the smoking ban in place. Dzulkefly said the meeting also decided to apply for an additional allocation to help smokers to quit smoking through the mQuit programme.

Source: New Strait Times April 26, 2019 12:00 UTC