Port Blair, July 15: The District Magistrate of South Andaman today issued order to prohibit manufacturing, storage, distribution & sell of all form of tobacco & nicotine products in the entire district from today itself till further order.
“The District Administration is closely monitoring the COVID-19 situation and noticed that there is a steep increase in positive cases in the past few days in some areas and one of the major cause of the spread of virus is caused due to spitting in public places. It has been noticed at large that the people living in the islands are in the habit of chewing tobacco and spitting at public places which thereby cause the spread of the virus,” the District Magistrate of South Andaman, Mr. Suneel Anchipaka mentioned in his order.
He added that in order to place strict measures of control the same and to prevent any further spread of the virus in the community at large manufacture, storage, distribution and sale on all forms of processed/flavoured/scented chewing tobacco, whether going by the name of Gukta, Pan Masala, Zarda packed and unpacked/loose etc., which contain tobacco and or nicotine as ingredient has been prohibited in the entire District of South Andaman for a period of one month with immediate effect in the interest of public health.
However officials COVID-19 data shows situation more or less under control in entire Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
As per last update there are only 11 COVID-19 active cases in Andaman and Nicobar Islands and since the beginning total 7499 people have been tested COVID-19 positive in this UT out of which 7359 people have recovered.
In the first and second waves of COVID-19 altogether 129 deaths have been recorded due to COVID-19 infection in Andaman and Nicobar Islands.