Spain – The Spanish region of Galicia has effectively banned smoking in public places over concerns it increases the risk of Covid-19 transmission.
It has issued a blanket ban on smoking in the street and in public places, such as restaurants and bars, if social distancing is not possible.
The north-western region is the first to introduce such a measure, although others are considering following suit.
This comes as Spain faces the worst infection rate in western Europe.
Daily cases have risen from less than 150 in June to over 1,500 through August. Spain recorded new cases in the latest daily count on Wednesday, bringing the country’s total to almost 330,000.
The smoking ban was announced in a press conference on Wednesday after experts recommended the measure to the regional government.
The move is supported by health ministry research, published in July, which outlined the link between smoking and the increased spread of coronavirus.
The research said the risk was heightened because people project droplets – and potentially Covid-19 – when they exhale smoke.
