China is looking to restrict the number of flies people encounter in public toilets.
The health ministry released draft regulations this week that intend to address the problem with China’s public bathrooms. In order to get things under control, officials will judge a toilet’s cleanliness by the number of flies buzzing around the commode.
According to news.com.au, Beijing started a “two fly” limit in public toilets last year. However, the health ministry’s latest proposal is a bit more strict. Officials believe that bathrooms inside buildings shouldn’t have more than one fly per square meter. Free-standing toilets should have no more than three flies per square meter.
The South China Morning Post explains that previous regulations were simply recommendations. Once the new drafts have been passed, the codes will be strictly enforced by authorities.
In an effort to get control of what is a serious problem in China, the country will classify the bathrooms by the severity of its smell. The levels include no odors, slight odors, apparent odors, and strong odors. Those who fail to maintain public toilets above “slight odors” could find themselves in deep trouble.
According to USA Today, the government is currently looking to hire people to assess the level of filth inside these public toilets. In addition to counting the flies buzzing overhead, the employee will be required to assess the bathroom’s stench level. Every facility will be required to have a cleaning staff on-hand to address problems.
However, it’s unclear what will happen to people who are found to be in violation of the new regulations. The draft doesn’t specify what sort of penalties or fines will be given to individuals who fail to to keep odors and flies under control.
What do you think about Chinese regulations that judge the cleanliness of public toilets based upon odors and flies?