New figures released by the Athens municipality, revealed that 2,809 inspections were carried out by municipal police on cafes, bars and restaurants in the first six months of the year.
The inspections, nearly triple from last year, were carried out to determine whether the ban on smoking in public places was being implemented.
From the total of 2,809 inspections, 245 violations were recorded, compared to 918 inspections in the same period last year that led to 171 violations being recorded.
“Keeping the city’s businesses smoke-free concerns us all – businesses, inspectors, but chiefly citizens,” said acting Athens Mayor Giorgos Broulias adding that the enforcement of the ban was “one of the municipal police’s key goals.”