If Usage of Chewing Tobacco Products is Banned, Then Why Are Bunch of Stalls Still Selling Them

If Usage of Chewing Tobacco Products is Banned, Then Why Are Bunch of Stalls Still Selling Them

Mangaluru: Beginning of June 2020, Karnataka State in order to prevent spread of Coronavirus had banned usage of chewing tobacco products and pan masala products and spitting them in public places. Karnataka had followed the footsteps of other states and Union Territories to curb the spread of Covid 19, thus banning the use of smokeless tobacco products and spitting in public places. The union ministry in the month of April had asked all the states and Union Territories to take measures to curb public usage of tobacco as it increases the chances of the Corona virus spread.

If Paan Masala spit spreads Covid-19, but it makes no sense that Government is allowing Paan Masala Shops to still run their business. Could it be that Vikram Kothari, the Son of “Father of Paan Masala” (Paan Parag) Late Sri Mansukh Lal Mahadev Bhai Kothari might have bribed the Central Government with BIG BUCKS to open the Smokeless Tobacco business? Or could it be that our beloved PM Modi is trying to be nice to the North Indians, because majority of them are users of Paan Masala, Gutka, and other smoke-less tobacco- are questions people may ask!

It should be noted that Additional secretary of Health and Family Welfare department in the order dated 29 May 2020 stated that the incidence of Coronavirus is on rise in the state and the guidelines of the World Health Organization and Indian Council of Medical Research have insisted a ban on the chewing tobacco products and spitting in public places. “After going through their recommendations in depth, the state as per the powers conferred by the Karnataka Epidemic Diseases Ordinance 2020 section 4(2) A and Indian Penal Code 1860, the state to prevent the spread of Corona and other communicable diseases have banned the usage of chewing tobacco products and consuming pan masala products and spitting them in public places” the order read.

Those who found violating the order will be booked under IPC 188, 268, 269, 270 and action will be initiated against the violators. It should be noted that the state had already banned the sale of single cigarettes and have been taking action for COTPA violations. But none of these are enforced, and sale of tobacco products and sale of single cigarettes is still on. When there was news and alerts that “chewing smokeless tobacco products, paan masala and areca nut (supari) increases the production of saliva followed by a very strong urge to spit. Spitting in public places could enhance the spread of the COVID-19 virus,”-and these statements were from the ministry in a letter to chief secretaries of all states and union territories.

The Union Health Ministry had asked all states to prohibit the use and spitting of smokeless tobacco in public places to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. In view of the increasing danger of the coronavirus pandemic, the Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) had also appealed to people to refrain from consuming smokeless tobacco products and spitting in public places. The letter had also stated “In this background, it is requested that necessary preventive measures may be taken under the appropriate law to prohibit the use and spitting of chewing smokeless tobacco products in public,” . Then why did the Modi Government make a U-Turn, thereby ignoring and making a fool of the earlier letter, and allowing the paan masala shops to open after 4 May 2020. Even Dakshina Kannada DC Sindhu Roopesh had ordered not to sell gutka, paan masala etc in Mangaluru, but all in vain.

Sources reveal that about Coronavirus Outbreak, that ‘Spitting In Public Is Not Just Gross, It’s A Health Hazard’, as per Experts and doctors, and one city Cardiologist Dr Padmanabha Kamath- Interventional Cardiolgist at KMC, Mangaluru, who has noticed quite a few paan masala shops in the City operating during this pandemic says, ” Spitting of paan masala liquid is Public Enemy No 1 during Covid-19 Scare, and also during this lockdown the sales of these tobacco products are unaffected. Chewing and spitting will eventually result in a bigger health hazard. ( including Covid through droplets). It’s time. Government and district admin bans these tobacco substances before it is too late. If you look at the larger picture these Pan masala, Tobacco and Zarda are sold rampantly in all the petty shops across the city. After chewing them normal response is to spit it out and there comes the biggest health hazard for others”.

So, while this sickening habit can make people’s life infectious, many people have this habit of spitting anywhere and everywhere- while walking, while driving their vehicles or being driven. Just look at the red stains on the walls, buildings, streets etc from spitting. Roads and public places are nothing more than bathrooms for them where they can unleash a stream of saliva directly in the path of people. Saliva carries live germs for more than 24 hours and can cause every respiratory disease including COVID-19 especially because it is caused by respiratory droplets and transmission may occur when these droplets enter the mouths, noses, or eyes of people who are nearby. Also, the spit does not just contain saliva but sometimes it also has mucus which is a habitat of many kinds of germs.

While cases of Covid-19 and deaths due to it are increasing, it is the time of the hour to see that the disease doesn’t spread more- and we should urge the government to ban paan masala shops. Spitting can cause the spread of COVID-19 as the saliva of an infected person can carry the virus for more than 24 hours. So, why is the government being so ignorant, when it comes to the safety of the people. Let’s all join and fight to keep the City Clean from Spit, and also stay SAFE from such spitting by these Covidiots? The best way to STOP SPITTING is to BAN SHOPS selling CHEWING TOBACCO PRODUCTS, in order to prevent spreading of COVID-19!