On November 15 Poland will implement a ban on smoking in all public places, including hotels, pubs, clubs, restaurants, sporting venues, workplaces, trains, children's playgrounds and even in company cars.

The ban will not be total. Owners of venues larger than 100 sqm will be able to set aside a separate room for smokers. However, such a room must have its own ventilation and must be totally separate so that no smoke permeates into the rest of the establishment. Moreover, smoking rooms will be reserved for smoking only, which means food may not be served in them.

Unsurprisingly, most clubs and restaurants have chosen to forgo the expense of setting aside a smoking area.

Reaction from pubs and clubs to the looming ban have been mixed. Kafe Kulturalna, a popular bar in Warsaw, banned smoking on its own volition during the summer. “Nobody complained. Turnover hasn't fallen” the bar's manger Jakub Paluch told Metro.

However, Gazeta Wyborcza reports that the Warsaw student club, Indeks, put up a sign that read “Indeks is against the ban on smoking tobacco in bars.”

Individuals who choose to ignore the restrictions could face a fine of zł.500 while businesses that fail to comply with the new legislation may be fined up to zł.2,000.