The Bombay High Court is mulling over a temporary ban on cigarette and bidi sales amid the COVID-19 lockdown, reports News 18.

With a temporary ban on cigarette and bidi sales being considered, the Bombay High Court has asked the state and central government to provide data on COVID-19 patients who are addicted to smoking, according to News 18.
“If this is an issue which would matter and is fatal to the health of the citizens, we are of the opinion that measures would be required to ban sale of cigarettes and bidis during the pandemic," said Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice Girish Kulkarni. Mumbai-based lawyer Sneha Marjadi had relayed to the court that there was a shortage of hospital beds and testing facilities, which has led the court to consider a ban on cigarette and bidi sales until the battle against COVID-19 is over.
“We are equally concerned as to whether the persons who are affected by COVID-19 and have become critical are persons smoking cigarettes and bidis, as it is by now well-known that the COVID-19 virus affects the lungs and weak lungs are affected more severely,” said the High Court.