To think smoking should now be banned in public spaces?

[MrsKingfisher]

I saw on the news footage of people Christmas shopping in London and people sitting outside in cafes etc. Given the current situation should public smoking be banned? Not only because it stinks and it's anti social but more people are now meeting outside due to covid. I don't believe there is any evidence that breathing out smoke spreads the virus anymore than normal breathing. It's just selfish, non smokers no longer can be told 'if you don't like it go inside'

@Kaliorphic

You are walking along a pavement on the high street and have people stood outside restaurants or pubs smoking. It is try and keep your mouth shut and don't breathe in time Can't stand having to breathe in smoke because of other peoples rights. I have the right to not breathe in your smoke

You could always just cross over the road if you don't like it. It's quite easy.

Depending where the pavement is that is sadly not always an option. I live in London and would get hit by a car if I tried to cross a 4 or six lane road.

Can't stand having to breathe in smoke because of other peoples rights. I have the right to not breathe in your smoke

So your rights trump theirs? That's the things about rights and freedom isn't it, you don't always get your own way... almost like other people exist independent of you? Madness

@Truelymadlydeeplysomeonesmum

Definitely should be banned from public areas

You are walking along a pavement on the high street and have people stood outside restaurants or pubs smoking. It is try and keep your mouth shut and don't breathe in time.

Can't stand having to breathe in smoke because of other peoples rights. I have the right to not breathe in your smoke.

And it definitely won't be.

*Smokers in your view OP are selfish, but only in the sense that they are now sitting in the space that you want to be in and spoiling your enjoyment.

It wasn't selfish when they were sitting in the rain and cold because it's the only place they were allowed to sit while you were inside in the warm and dry*

Exactly this!

Yes op YABU

That was my point your right to smoke isn't more important than my right not to breathe in your smoke.

Therefore the only way to settle this is on health and safety grounds.

You are standing there all fine smoking away. Maybe getting lung cancer but that is your right.

Whereas I am working past on my only way to work.

To avoid your smoke yes I could cross road but London traffic means I would get hit by a Boris bus. So that is out.

I could just soak you with my water bottle to put out fat but that is assault. So sadly that is out. I would lose my job if I got a assault charge.

Therefore having looked at all the evidence ban smoking it is gross, smelly, gagging awful and frankly rather selfish in public.

Also general advice smoking make you look like a prat. Why would you want everyone to know you are a prat.

Depending where the pavement is that is sadly not always an option. I live in London and would get hit by a car if I tried to cross a 4 or six lane road.

You're complaining about a bit of cigarette smoke whilst walking down a 4 or 6 lane road full of cars polluting the atmosphere. Really? Really? 🤣

Also general advice smoking make you look like a prat. Why would you want everyone to know you are a prat.

🤣 I think you need the Prat hat 🤣

Clearly we should ban cars! It would have the useful byproduct of ensuring that future generations have a habitable planet to live on

We need another petition.

I thought they going to to ban all but electric cars soon anyway

Petrol and diesel cars, not electric cars.

Ok hands up. The reason I don't like smoking is purely because is smells so bad and get to the back of my throat. I just added the health stuff because in this argument it is the expected.

I am on bloody mumsnet communicating with you when I could be doing something useful of course I am a prat

I am on bloody mumsnet communicating with you when I could be doing something useful of course I am a prat

😂 This thread is so funny.

I'm having a smoke in my house, while watching this thread

I thought they going to to ban all but electric cars soon anyway
They want to phase out diesel and petrol cars over time.This week there's been the first death certificate to have air pollution listed as a cause of death.

I have absolutely no doubt there will be a bunch of monsters complaining about phasing out petrol and diesel cars too, just like there is on discussions on smoking, just like there's people who will claim getting drunk and smoking 20 a day in pregnancy is absolutely fine because their mum/aunty did and nothing bad happened, just like there were people moaning when people discussed the effect of passive smoking in cars on children (you know the whole 'it's my right to have a cigarette everywhere and it's my right to decide my child should have their lungs filled with it too').

Smoking has been banned in Andalucia Spain on terraces for 3 months or so. It's pure joy not to have stinking smoke wafting over me. About time the UK caught up.

I live in London and would get hit by a car if I tried to cross a 4 or six lane road.

If you’re walking next to six lanes of traffic a whiff of cigarette smoke is the least of your worries.

Smoking has been banned in Andalucia Spain on terraces for 3 months or so. It's pure joy not to have stinking smoke wafting over me. About time the UK caught up

Doesn't appear to be banned. Smokers just need to maintain the 2 metre distancing rules. Which everyone should do anyway, regardless of whether they smoke or not.

Nope. Give people a break. Besides, government need the money from smokers.

I hate smoking, really hate it!

But YABVU!

It's not smokers fault that this virus hit us, why should the be penalised even more than non smokers?

The people who talk about being exposed to clouds of smoke outside, really? I live in busy London, take tubes, walk on busy streets and I've never been surrounded by clouds of smoke. Clouds of smokes is if all passengers on a train smoke in a small coach with no open window and you're the only one who doesn't smoke which this was banned years and years ago. As I said, I live/work in busy London and I don't come home smelling of smoke. What I smell of is fried food when walking behind restaurants, fumes and generally the outside smell. Mumsnet and over exaggeration at its best. One thing I get annoyed of is the smell of cannabis that lingers around for ages smelling like stale BO whichever direction you take and you can't spot that smoker and even that, you get that once in a while.

cryola
Someone from London has spoken. The rest of us should all shut up because clearly we have no idea what our experiences are. If it hasn't happened to a Londoner then it can't be true.

We should just accept the inevitable and ban tobacco altogether

@LolaSmiles well given that London is the most populated city in the UK with the highest pollution rate and I live and work in central London and I'm yet to walk though clouds of smoke is all I'm saying. Higher population density = more smokers per unit area and me no walk through clouds of smoke...