Spain studies permanently banning smoking on outdoor terraces to prevent coronavirus

The government of Spain propose to regional governments the prohibition of smoking in the outdoor terraces of hotels and restaurants throughout the country in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. So far you can keep at least two meters of interpersonal distance to smoke.

The ban on smoking outdoors, including terraces, has been in force since last August throughout Spain, if that minimum distance is not possible, to prevent the virus from being transmitted in the exhaled smoke.

The Government proposes the new measure “With the dual objective of acting on smoking as a risk factor for infection and contagion of the COVID-19, together with the need to contribute to the control of the evolution of the disease in Spain”.

Sources from the Ministry of Health explained to EFE that this proposal is not expected to be debated at the meeting of the Public Health Commission on Thursday, where the national and regional administrations are represented, and that it is a draft of a document of work not definitive and still subject to technical considerations.

In the draft, to which EFE had access, it is also argued that currently six of the 17 Spanish regions “have advanced in the measures and thus have prohibited”. The consumption of different tobacco products on the outdoor terraces, regardless of the maintenance of two meters of interpersonal distance.

In addition, Health details that others are currently considering the application of the same restrictions, have issued recommendations in this regard or are in favor of their application.

The contagion continues to rise in Spain, and its incidence exceeds 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days. Health notified 10,474 infected and 131 more deaths on Wednesday.

The total number of infections rises to 3,387,022 and the death toll to 76,756 since the pandemic began.