A ban on smoking in bars and restaurants due to take effect in May 2018 has been reversed, The Guardian reported, citing an announcement from the far-right Freedom party.

Freedom party chief Heinz-Christian Strache said the reversal was agreed as part of ongoing coalition talks between his party and prospective coalition partner, the People’s party.
The outgoing government passed the law, which bans smoking completely in bars and eateries, in 2015. It was due to take effect in May.
“I am proud of this excellent solution in the interests of non-smokers, smokers and restaurant owners,” Strache commented on social media.
Health Minister Pamela Rendi-Wagner of the Social Democrats, which plans to go into opposition following a coalition deal, said reversing the proposed ban is an “enormous step backwards on health policy”, the Guardian reported.