Obviously, the advice/suggestion is not restricted to Wales - this was just what I saw:
Public Health Wales has urged the country’s 440,000 smokers to quit now to reduce the risks from Covid-19 and said it has seen a rise in the number of people asking for help to stop.
It says smokers are more at risk from Covid-19 because they have weakened lung defences and more regular hand-to-mouth contact, giving more chances for picking up the virus. Many also have existing lung conditions caused by smoking.
According to Public Health Wales, hundreds of smokers have contacted the NHS Help Me Quit helpline since the outbreak began and in response more telephone support advisers have been drafted in.
Meanwhile, the website of the tobacco control campaign group ASH Wales has had a 40% increase in visitors, mostly searching for online advice on how to quit.
Ashley Gould, a public health consultant at Public Health Wales, said:
Seven in ten smokers in Wales say they would like to quit – there might never be a more important time than now to try harder than ever.
We know that Covid-19 is mainly a respiratory disease and research on similar viruses shows tobacco smoke increases the risks of this type of infection, and how serious it can be.
Suzanne Cass, CEO of Ash Wales, said:
We know that giving up smoking can be incredibly tough but there really is no more important time to quit. The health benefits kick in within minutes of stubbing out that last cigarette and continue to grow with time.
theguardian.com/politics/li...
Hypocrisy alert - I used to smoke.