The ban on smoking and vaping in all indoor public spaces follows a recent revelation that the country has the highest rates of tobacco use in the world, The Guardian reported.

The Jordanian government has banned smoking and vaping in all indoor public spaces a week after a Guardian investigation revealed tobacco use in the country had become the highest in the world. The country’s health ministry said all enclosed public areas would now be “100 per cent smoke-free environments”, building on an existing but widely flouted ban on smoking inside government buildings and ending an exemption for hotels, cafes and restaurants, the report said.
In its announcement, the Jordanian government cited studies showing that smokers and those who consumed second-hand smoke were more susceptible to harm if they catch the coronavirus. Although the country borders several countries with significant coronavirus outbreaks, the Jordanian government has monitored one of the world’s most successful COVID-19 responses, declaring end of June, the kingdom had effectively ended community transmission of the virus, and that public curfews and lockdowns would be lifted, the report said.