ANG MINGFAN, MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF THE CHINESE PEOPLE'S POLITICAL CONSULTATIVE

The UK’s second nationwide lockdown which forced all non-essential retailers and services to close between November 5th and December 2nd, had been met with disappointment by the vaping industry, as the necessity of vaping products as smoking cessation aids was once again ignored. Sadly, this seems the case once again.

This week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the third lockdown in England, which started this week and will last until around mid-February. In Johnson’s fourth address since the pandemic began, he said that the new strain of the coronavirus is between 50% and 70% more transmissible, which makes the situation “frustrating and alarming.”

The UK fully endorses the use of vapes as smoking cessation and/or harm reduction tools, and it is a well known fact that the pressures brought about by the pandemic are leading to a lot of smoking relapses. To this effect, public health experts have been pointing out that closing vape shops at this time is particularly nonsensical. Only last October, the government-funded campaign – Stoptober, was urging smokers to quit cigarettes by switching to vaping.

“Only last month the Government-backed Stoptober campaign was encouraging smokers to quit, including through taking up vaping. Those who took up the challenge during the month now do not have access to the same level of support and products from their local vape stores. We will be making these points strongly to the government on behalf of the industry and asking them to reconsider their stance on vape stores and reclassify them as essential in future,” argued John Dunne, Director General of the UKVIA last November, ahead of the 2nd lockdown.