Smoking in public causes concern with Covid-19

EVEN the most committed of smokers know that it probably isn’t the healthiest habit to partake in, but the Spanish Society of Pneumology (SEPAR) has strongly recommended that tobacco smokers and vapours refrain from doing so while sharing pub and restaurant terraces with other people in places that are now open for business. “When smoking and exhaling the smoke (both from conventional tobacco or electronic devices) tiny respiratory droplets which are expelled contain a viral load that can be highly contagious. It is also in-avoidable to put your hand to your mouth or nose or face, which facilitates the entry of the virus into the respiratory system, "explains the leading pulmonologist and president of SEPAR, Carlos A. Jiménez-Ruiz. Additionally masks need to be removed, a compulsory item of face-wear when outside from today (21 May). Contaminated particles exhaled in this way can infect people sitting up to two metres away so not just those sitting with you but others close by as well as staff. SEPAR recommends a ban on smoking outside hostelries until the dangers have fully passed, but the Health Ministry has made no mention of any such plans.