Smoking will be banned in Manchester’s new outside seating areas

The new temporary outdoor seating and drinking spots in the city centre are set to be smoke-free.

The government has recently passed a new law that calls for bars and restaurants to provide smoking and non-smoking areas in the new outdoor terraces to avoid sleepwalking ‘from one health crisis to another’.

The outdoor drinking and dining spots recently opened up to help the hospitality get back on its feet and they’ve proved massively popular amongst Mancunians. 

But Manchester City Council is now implementing a new rule which means all outdoor areas will be smoke-free. 

Executive member for Neighbourhoods, Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar told the MEN: “Smoking is not only terrible for our health but is also an unpleasant thing for bystanders to endure.

“I am sure that after months inside the last thing people want is a face full of smoke when trying to enjoy a meal or drink.”

Symptoms of the respiratory virus, Covid-19, can be more severe and even critical in those that have a history of smoking, according to a study. This study concluded that ‘smoking is a risk factor for the progression of Covid-19’, with smokers being twice as likely to develop severe symptoms. 

Another study concluded that although a small number of smokers are less likely to test positive for Covid-19 than non-smokers, they are more likely to report more serious symptoms. 

A study done at the University of Oxford has suggested that there is ‘biological plausibility’ that smoking may actually be having a protective effect against coronavirus with nicotine blocking the receptors the virus uses to get into your cells.

Manchester also has one of the worst rates for lung cancer and cardiovascular disease registrations in the UK.

The national average for smokers over the age of 18 is 13%, this number stands at 18% in Manchester between 2017 and 2019. 

The council are taking this opportunity to help combat Manchester’s smoking problem which sees 6,000 smoking-related hospital admissions a year. 

Councillor Akbar continued: “The introduction of outside seating for the hospitality sector has been a positive step over the past few weeks.

“We are seeing the public enjoy a degree of normality, and we are also seeing our businesses pick up following the devastating impact of the lockdown. However, we have not endured one health crisis to sleepwalk into another.

“We know that in Manchester there are still too many people smoking and we want to play our part to ensure that the city is a place where smoking is not a cultural norm.”

The BBC reported that more than one million people have quit smoking since the start of the pandemic, with at least 41% saying it was in direct response to coronavirus. 

In 2019, there were seven million smokers in the UK so there is still considerably more to be done. 

Public Health England’s guidance states: “There is strong evidence that smoking tobacco is generally associated with an increased risk of developing respiratory viral infections.

“Smoking causes damage to the lungs and airways and harms the immune system, reducing your ability to fight infection.”

Is the new smoking-ban welcomed news to you? Let us know!