COVID-19 and beyond: banning tobacco and e-cigarettes in public places is a public health must

There is no safe level of exposure to second-hand smoke Following the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic around the world, 15 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean Region took a bold decision to ban waterpipe use temporarily in public places. This is in addition to the two countries that had already banned it previously, making the total number of countries that have banned waterpipe use in public places 17. Waterpipe use was identified as a possible means for the spread of COVID-19 due to its communal use, which involves the sharing of a single mouthpiece and hose, and customary use in social gatherings, which makes physical distancing impossible.