Coronavirus: Spanish regions ban smoking over risk of Covid-19

The Spanish region of Galicia has effectively banned smoking in public places over concerns that it would increase the risk of Covid-19 transmission.

It imposed a blanket ban on smoking in the street and in public places, such as restaurants and bars, if social distance is not possible.

The northwestern region is the first to introduce such a measure, but the Canary Islands have since followed suit.

It comes as Spain has the lowest number of infections in Western Europe.

Daily cases have increased from less than 150 in June to more than 1500 in mid-August. It registered 1,690 new cases in the last daily count on Wednesday, bringing the total of the country to nearly 330,000.

Galicia’s smoking ban was announced at a news conference on Wednesday after experts recommended the measure to the regional government.

The move is supported by research from the Ministry of Health, published last month, which outlined the link between smoking and the increased spread of coronavirus.

It said the risk was increased because people project drops – and potentially Covid-19 – when they smoke out.

It also said smokers risk infection in other ways, such as by touching their cigarette before bringing it to their mouths and by treating face masks when they take it on and off.

The study also pointed to the broader negative health effects of smoking. “It has been proven that use of tobacco, in one of its forms, exacerbates the course of respiratory diseases,” it said.

“Current evidence indicates that smoking is associated with … a higher risk of developing a severe form of symptoms,” it added.

“Smoking without borders … with people close by and without social distance [poses] a high risk of infection, “regional president Alberto Núñez Feijóo told the news conference.

“We know this is an unpopular measure for smokers,” added Alberto Fernández Villar, a member of the clinical commission advising the government, according to the newspaper El País. “But I believe we are in an exceptional situation.”

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On Thursday, the Canary Islands announced a similar measure banning outdoor smoking, where social distance cannot be guaranteed. It will come into force on Friday in addition to another mandate that makes face masks mandatory in public spaces.

Officials in areas including Madrid, Andalusia and Valencia are also reported to be considering implementing their own smoking.

Similar measures have been introduced elsewhere, such as in South Africa where the sale of tobacco was banned at the end of March.

It justified the ban on health grounds on the advice of its own medical experts as well as from the World Health Organization (WHO).

And in the UK, a survey showed that more than one million people have smoked since the Covid-19 pandemic. UK government advice says smokers may be at risk for more serious Covid-19 symptoms.

Doctors say that smokers are more likely to get respiratory infections, and that they are more likely to develop complications such as pneumonia at a later stage.