Spain’s Health Ministry asked to ban smoking on terraces due to Delta variant spread

Smoking spreads covid-19 up to 8 meters away, SEPAR

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Spain’s Health Ministry is being asked to ban smoking on terraces due to Delta variant by Health and civil societies.

More than a dozen health, medical and civil rights societies have asked Spain’s Health Ministry, headed by the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, for a ban on smoking on hotel terraces throughout Spain due to the high transmission of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

These anti-smoking groups have demanded that Darías start a debate in the Interterritorial Health Council the declaration of all hospitality establishments as smoke-free spaces and without vapers from any other device for the inhalation of tobacco, water pipes or similar, given the much greater transmissibility of the Delta variant of COVID-19.

The associations demand this measure to fight against one of the most relevant contagion factors that exist, which is exposure to tobacco smoke and air vapour (when people breathe out), and which has a very relevant incidence, especially in the younger population.

The president of the Committee for the Prevention of Smoking (CNPT), Andrés Zamorano, states that “it is urgent to regulate outdoor spaces in relation to tobacco and electronic cigarettes.”

There are already seven autonomous communities that have expressly prohibited smoking and vaping on their terraces: Aragón, Asturias, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, the Valencian Community, and La Rioja.

These organizations seek that this measure is debated in the Interritorial Council of the National Health System so that it extends to the entire national territory because according to Fernandez Megina:

“It does not make sense that it is applied only in some autonomous communities, even more so considering the situation of the fifth wave of COVID-19 with an even more transmissible variant. ”


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Ron Howells

Ron actually started his working career as an Ophthalmic Technician- things changed when, during a band rehearsal, his amplifier blew up and he couldn’t get it fixed so he took a course at Birmingham University and ended up doing a degree course. He built up a chain of electronics stores and sold them as a franchise over 35 years ago. After five years touring the world Ron decided to move to Spain with his wife and son, a place they had visited over the years, and only bought the villa they live in because it has a guitar-shaped swimming pool!. Playing the guitar since the age of 7, he can often be seen, (and heard!) at beach bars and clubs along the length of the coast. He has always been interested in the news and constantly thrives to present his articles in an interesting and engaging way.

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