Mr.Manjinder Singh Sirsa,President ,DSGMChas been fighting the battle against Hookah Bars in Delhi for last 4 years but no supportive action came from Govt. Finally, today, Arvind Kejriwal government has prohibited the use of Hookah in public places from immediate effect, as per the latest order in wake of controlling Covid-19 spread.Congratulations and thanks to Mr.Manjinder Singh Sirsa for his continuous efforts.
The order released by the health and family welfare department observed that the use and sharing of Hookah could lead to a further increase in the spread of COVID-19
"The use of
Hookah (with and without tobacco i.e., herbal hookah, water pipes, and other
hookah-like devices) in all public places including hotels, restaurants, eatery
houses, bars, pubs; discotheques, etc. of the NCT of Delhi is strictly
prohibited with immediate effect," the order said.
The rationale behind prohibiting the hookah was that it involves sharing its mouthpieces and hoses, which could facilitate the transmission of COVID-19. Besides, as it's smoked in closed spaces and social settings, the aerosols carrying the virus generated by an infected person could further spread the infection among people sitting firmly to the infected person.
Besides, the
directive also pointed out that smokers are more vulnerable to be infected by
the COVID-19 as the "act of smoking" increases the possibility of
transmitting the virus from hand to mouth. "The fingers and cigarettes are
in contact with lips which increase the possibility of transmission of the
virus from hand to mouth," the order said.
