Milan (AFP)

"It was high time to pass this law. There are enough of this smoke!".

Massimo Gabbiadini, shopkeeper in the famous Duomo square, jubilant: since Tuesday, smoking has been banned in Milan in certain outdoor public places such as parks, stadiums or at bus stops.

But this 50-year-old remains skeptical: "I'm waiting to see if this regulation is really applied. In northern Europe we respect the law, but in Italy?".

The ban, which even hits cemeteries, is not total: inveterate smokers can continue to burn one if they do so in isolated places while respecting a distance of ten meters from others.

In a Duomo square deserted by tourists in these times of pandemic, but spared by the ban, several passers-by, cigarettes around their lips, say they are surprised by the new regulations.

Milan is currently classified in the red zone, therefore considered to be at high risk of contagion.

The only stores open are those selling basic necessities, and restaurants can only sell take-out.

"There is no sign in Milan saying that there are places where smoking is forbidden," said Floris Dethmers, a slim 18-year-old model who came from the Netherlands to attend men's fashion week .

"That it is forbidden inside, I understand. But outside, I want to keep the freedom to smoke," he says.

- "Correct measure" -

But in general, the ban is rather well received, including by smokers like Maria Luigia di Toma, a 63-year-old unemployed receptionist.

"This is a fair measure, because smoking is really annoying for the people around you," she admits.

Milan is the first Italian city to implement this partial ban on outdoor smoking.

The objective: "to reduce fine PM10 particles, harmful to the lungs, and protect the health of citizens against active and passive smoking in public places", according to the town hall.

Located in the middle of the Po plain and saturated with road traffic, the Lombard metropolis regularly breaks pollution records.

And 8% of fine PM10 particles in Milan can be attributed to cigarettes.

For offenders, the fines range from 40 to 240 euros, "but for the moment, the sanctions are not applied because we are betting on a gradual entry into force, while waiting for everyone to be informed," he explains. one at the town hall of Milan.

- Cleaver in 2025 -

The ax will fall on January 1, 2025, with a total ban on outdoor smoking.

Regularly singled out for its worrying levels of pollution, Italy was a pioneer in Europe for banning smoking in enclosed public places, including bars and restaurants, in 2005.

Contrary to expectations, this law was easily imposed and the health authorities noted a marked decrease in smoking in the country.

In fifteen years, the number of smokers aged 15 and over in Italy has fallen by one million to 11.6 million, according to a study by the Higher Institute of Health.

Leaning on a statue in Duomo Square, Laura Beraldo, 21, an NGO employee, is not about to give up nicotine, with her twenty cigarettes a day.

"For me, it is not the cigarette which is responsible for the smog, but it is the circulation of cars and global warming", she objected.

For now, "there is no infringement on the freedom to smoke, because it is enough that I respect a distance of ten meters", consoles Laura, wearing a broad smile.

And there is still the electronic cigarette, so far excluded from the ban in Milan.

© 2021 AFP