It has been reported that the masks are now back in Spain at health facilities. Check out the latest reports about the matter below.
Covid masks are back in Spain
According to the latest reports, Spain’s Ministry of Health said on Wednesday that it will implement an order to mandate masks at health care facilities across the country.
“What we have to do is protect the most vulnerable people,” Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia told reporters, claiming the rule is “just common sense.”
It has been also revealed the fact that the new leftist minority coalition government is imposing the measure despite opposition from most of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions.
“I don’t think it is any drama. It is a basic and simple measure of the first order,” Ms. Garcia added.
The Spanish Health Ministry has mandated the use of masks in hospitals and healthcare centers and recommended their use in private clinics, pharmacies, and other medical facilities including dental offices. Some Spanish regions had already implemented the use of masks for hospital patients, visitors, and staff last week.
The central government proposed extending the nationwide requirement for masks on Monday, which is now confirmed by Ms. Garcia’s statement on Wednesday.
The regions can lift the requirement if infections decrease for two consecutive weeks. Spain was among the last European countries to remove the mandatory use of face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The use of masks was required on public transport until February 2023 and in health centers and pharmacies until July.
“We’ve talked and we’ve reflected deeply on the role of masks—especially in health centers and hospitals—when it comes to protecting both patients and health professionals,” Ms. Garcia said earlier this week.
The Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine recently reported that there has been a 35% increase in Spanish residents seeking emergency care for influenza, COVID-19, and other respiratory illnesses compared to the same period last year.
However, some officials have pushed back against the announcement mandating masks, including Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the president of Spain’s Madrid region, who believes that it is unnecessary.
“Making masks obligatory now shows improvisation,” she wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. “Madrid has fewer cases because it has been working against flu for a long time: strategies; recommendations; daily monitoring, vaccinations … imposition through imposition is the resort of a weak manager.”
It is also worth noting the fact that there are several Spanish regions who have voted against reintroducing the mask mandate this week, reported EuroNews. The new mandate will not apply to pharmacies, the country’s health ministry also said.
