Mumbai, May 31 (IANS): On World No Tobacco Day on Monday, actor Manish Goel confessed that he regrets smoking and it is important to educate people to stay away from tobacco.

"I regret smoking. Now, I feel that while smoking you are not only ruining your health but also spoiling the lives of your most beloved people around you and polluting the environment too. Tobacco kills more people than any other addiction and it's time we educate people to stay away from tobacco. It may be difficult to quit smoking at first but it is not impossible," he says.

Manish says that this is even more important as we fight Covid-19 today.

"The world continues to struggle to contain the spread of Covid-19. Tobacco consumption through smoking has emerged as one of the factors increasing Covid-related health risks up to the point of fatalities and deaths. This was because smoking reportedly facilitates the entry of Covid-19 virus in the human body by increasing the expression of receptors through which the virus actually enters the body," he says.

However, he admits that it's not easy to quit. "I feel it's a very difficult task. To all those people who have managed to get rid of their addiction to tobacco, I congratulate you and thank you for setting an example to so many others who are trying to do the same," he says.

Manish is currently seen playing Dr Raghav in the television show "Hamari Wali Good News", and has featured in series like "Nimki Vidhayak", "Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii", and "Kasautii Zindagii Kay" among others.