Betel nut vendors in Papua New Guinea's capital are being given a one month grace period as the city makes the transition to the ban on the sale of betel nut.
The sale of betel nut in Port Moresby, and chewing and spitting in public, began on Tuesday, but penalties for breaches will not be enforced until October 28.
The Governor of the National Capital District, Powes Parkop, says markets outside of the capital have yet to be completed, so a number of temporary markets have been designated for people to sell betel nut in the city until the markets are complete.
"The strategy is to relocate the selling and the consumption outside of the city boundary. In the city people can still chew but they don't chew in public place, especially the street or the disgusting habit, spitting in public place, it's zero tolerance. They can chew and spit at home, and dispose of the rubbish and the spittle in a hygenic way."
Powes Parkop says the difference in the cleanliness of the city is already noticeable, just a day after the ban began.
