A discussion on a new bill has begun in the capital
In Bishkek, city authorities have initiated changes to the law "On Public Health," which will require owners of cafes, restaurants, and other public establishments to provide free and open access to restrooms for the population.
The aim of this bill is to protect citizens' health, create equal access to basic sanitary services, improve the level of sanitary culture in public places, as well as strengthen preventive measures against diseases and enhance the quality of the urban environment.
The city hall emphasized that in Kyrgyzstan, situations often arise where access to restrooms in food establishments and other institutions is restricted. In some places, code locks or other means are installed to prevent free entry to restrooms for those who are not customers of the establishment.
“Moreover, in some cases, a fee is charged for using the restroom, which creates unnecessary barriers to meeting natural physiological needs, especially for vulnerable groups of the population — the elderly, children, pregnant women, and persons with disabilities. Delays in meeting these needs can negatively affect the state of the urinary and digestive systems, which, in turn, impacts the overall health of society,” the explanatory note states.
The draft law proposes to add a new subparagraph 7 to paragraph 2 of Article 17 of the Law "On Public Health," which will read:
“7) ensure free and unrestricted access for all citizens to sanitary-hygienic facilities (restrooms) of public catering establishments and other institutions providing services to the population, except for sanitary facilities (restrooms) intended for providing paid sanitary-hygienic services.”
“This provision will create a clear obligation for entrepreneurs providing services to the population — to guarantee free and unrestricted access to restrooms, regardless of whether users are customers of the establishment, while the possibility of commercial restrooms for providing paid services remains,” the city hall added.
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