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| - A ban on smoking on streets and restaurant terraces when social-distancing cannot be guaranteed came into effect Thursday in Spain's northwestern region of Galicia, with other areas mulling similar restrictions to curb the spread of the coronavirus. Under a law approved by the regional government of Galicia late on Wednesday which came into force at midnight, removing a face mask to smoke in public is not allowed if it is not possible to maintain a distance of two meters (6.7 feet) between people. It is mandatory in all of Spain, except in the Canary Islands, to wear a face mask in all outdoor and indoor public spaces. The Spanish Society of Epidemiology in July called for smoking to be banned in outdoor spaces, arguing there is a risk that smokers infected with COVID-19 but who are asymptomatic "could release droplets" containing the virus "which put at risk the rest of the population". The smoking ban is the first of its kind in Spain and is part of a series of new measures imposed by Galicia, best-known as the destination for pilgrims hiking along the Camino de Santiago, to curb the spread of COVID-19. It has already ordered the closure of bars and nightclubs and restricted the number of people who can enter shops at the same time. Officials in other regions such as Madrid and the southern region of Andalusia, along with those in the central regions of Castilla y Leon and Castilla La Mancha, said they were considering similar smoking restrictions. Spain's highly decentralised system of government makes regions responsible for healthcare, leading to a patchwork of different measures to curb the virus across the country of 47 million people. The World Health Organization has said tobacco users are likely to be more vulnerable to being infected by the virus and could increase the possibility of transmission of the disease since it involves contact of fingers with the lips. While the smoking ban was applauded by many medical experts, some questioned its effectiveness. "There is not yet enough solid scientific information to show that in open spaces, tobacco smoke can transmit the disease," Fernando Garcia, an epidemiologist at the Carlos III institute for health, told AFP. "To take such an extreme measure when there is not anough evidence, I think is a bit disproportionate." With 30 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, Galicia has one of the lowest prevalence rates of the virus in Spain, which has nearly 330,000 infections, the highest number in Western Europe. du-ds/bmm
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