Is it a good idea to ban smoking in the street to prevent the spread of the virus? The measure, which came into force this summer in several regions of Spain where physical distancing is not possible, is dividing the population and scientists alike.
Although the Spanish Society of Epidemiology has been calling for this ban since early summer, arguing that "smokers who are infected and asymptomatic may emit droplets containing the virus and put the rest of the population at risk", some doctors believe that there is still a lack of evidence on the risk of transmission, even though smokers have to take off their masks when they want to smoke a cigarette.
Our colleagues from RTL 5 Minutes asked their readers to express their thoughts on the matter, and why such a ban could be a good or a bad thing if it were applied in Luxembourg. The result: The majority of participants (57%) are in favour of this ban.
"Safety first" writes Constance, convinced that the precautionary principle must apply. "The smoker exhales a smoke that is dry and does not contain micro-droplets that could spread the virus. If the smoker coughs, on the other hand, (as is often the case with smokers) there are droplets," says Dadou. For some, it's even a question of logic: "If you can't keep the distance, you have to put on the mask. Thus you can't smoke."
However, the anti-smokers have realised that this controversial measure could also be used as a sort of Trojan horse to further restrict the opportunities for smoking. Many of the participating non-smokers want to take advantage of the idea to improve the quality of life in Luxembourg and make the "undesirable" cigarettes disappear. "You can no longer walk down the street in Luxembourg without smelling cigarette smoke almost all the time," laments Ferreira. "Thousands of cigarette butts litter the pavements and pollute the groundwater". – "People have no respect and smoke anywhere, even in places where children are present," says Leyens.
The problem of carelessly discarded cigarette butts - which is punishable by law in Luxembourg - and passive smoking are their main targets. "Already without Covid, smoke in the street is quite annoying," says Stalker. "With the mask, the feeling of shortness of breath is quickly felt and there is a certain discomfort, but we wear it to protect others and ourselves. This discomfort is accentuated when we walk behind a smoker who is not wearing a mask and is bothering us," writes Ele. "With the mask on, it is even harder for a non-smoker: the smoke gets in and the smell of cigarettes is there all the time, it is very unpleasant," Geny agrees.
However, smokers too have understood this desire to limit smoking in general a little more quite well themselves. The user "TrucMuch" wonders, for example, whether he will soon have to hide "in public bathrooms" to smoke. Kiem notes that the constraints are piling up: "I'm not a smoker but I think that the bans go too far".
A feeling shared by many smokers who feel persecuted. "I think we already have a lot of restrictions imposed on us, so leave smokers alone," says Lucette. "Just because we don't smoke in the street doesn't mean there won't be more cases," says Rese. The term "freedom" is mentioned several times by readers concerned about preserving their right to smoke. Mike points out that "if masks are not compulsory on the street, there is no reason to prevent people from smoking".
A user named Lili proposes exactly that, to cut short the debate. In another survey, RTL 5 Minutes' readers had already spoken out in favour of this measure adopted by many cities in Europe as well.
Banning smoking in the street when physical distancing is not possible would, however, cause severe headaches for the authorities as the measure seems difficult to enforce. Moreover, to date, almost no country has followed Spain's example.
User Vama has finally come up with a less restrictive solution: creating smoking areas around the ashtrays. A solution that would limit passive smoking as much as the throwing of cigarette butts into sewer manholes. However, whether this idea would be appreciated by smokers is once again up for debate.
