Spain: the use of a mask outdoors is no longer mandatory

The Spanish government, in December, once again decreed the mandatory use of masks outdoors due to the rise in infections due to the omicron variant.

As of Tuesday, the use of masks outdoors will not be mandatory, after the measure was applied in December due to the high number of Covid-19 infections, according to the Spanish Minister of Health, Carolina Darias.

In her statements, the minister pointed out that on Tuesday the decree in which the mandatory use of masks will be eliminated will be brought before the Council of Ministers.

On Monday, this decree will be debated to later be approved by the Interterritorial Council, an entity that has as participants the government and representatives of the regions, which, according to the minister, are competent in the issue of public health.

Last year, on the eve of Christmas, the Spanish government decreed that the use of masks in public spaces would again be mandatory due to the escalation of those infected by the omicron variant.

Darias said that the measure had been established for as long as it was necessary, until the figures dropped and a different measure could be applied, as the indicators currently reflect.

The minister stressed that for several weeks all the figures have improved.

In addition, he stressed that the omicron variant greatly increased cases, something that no other variant had done, but fortunately it did not have as many fatalities or hospitalizations.

For the minister, this reality led several areas of Spain to relax the restrictive measures applied in December, in the sixth wave of covid infections.

Currently, few countries in the world have imposed the use of a mask outdoors, but there are also few where it is not mandatory when biosafety distances are taken.

In 2020, the use of masks in people over six years of age began to be mandatory in Spain, when the pandemic had just begun with the first wave of coronavirus.

This measure was revoked thanks to the improvement that occurred in June of last year, as long as a minimum distance of 2 meters between people was maintained.

In Spain, about 91% of the population over 10 years of age are vaccinated and since the beginning of the pandemic, more than one million cases and almost 100,000 deaths have been registered.

Spain joins countries such as Norway, Denmark and France that have relaxed the restrictive measures against covid-19 due to the low mortality rate presented by the new variant.

The World Health Organization (WHO), last month, indicated that thanks to the low mortality rate recorded in the world by the omicron variant, this year could be the end of the pandemic.