SPANISH government health experts have agreed not to review the use of face masks on public transport until March 2023, according to a new report. By then, it had been almost a full year since other mask regulations had been lifted.
Although masks are no longer mandatory in indoor public places (except hospitals, pharmacies, nursing homes and other health centers) as of April 20, 2022, they are mandatory on public transport in Spain, such as public transport. Taxis, subway cars and trains.
Spain's emergency department has agreed not to review Spain's mask rules until March 2023, despite lifting all other Covid-19 domestic and travel restrictions until summer 2022, according to a report published on Spanish news site Voz Populi.
The article cites sources within the Spanish government, adding that the country's public health committee, a body that advises Spain's health ministry, has reportedly agreed to delay any possible changes until March and from today. Since then, the rule has been kept in place "indefinitely" because "now is not a good time to remove masks due to the onset of winter".
However, the Ministry of Health argues that no exact date has been set for a review of the mask legislation.
The new measure makes it mandatory for passengers over 14 to wear FFP2 masks instead of surgical masks on long-distance trains, and the federal government has said it will not review the legislation until April 2023.
Fernando Simon, Spain's head of health emergencies, recently told reporters that "it is possible to wait a while and see how the disease develops" before deciding to remove the masks entirely.
However, if Spanish health experts really want to follow in Germany's footsteps, it may even be possible to restore masks in all indoor public spaces this winter, or at least there will be a debate.
This fall, a surge in Covid and flu cases, overwhelmed hospitals, and the emergence of a new Omicron sub-variant, BQ.1, have led German authorities to consider reintroducing old Covid-19 restrictions for the winter.
Spain is also starting to see an increase in Covid and flu infections, and discussions about an eighth wave of coronavirus are rumbling in the background, but health ministry officials have yet to mention a possible resumption of indoor mask-wearing boards.
Fernando Simon, Spain's head of health emergencies, told reporters recently that "it is possible to wait a while and see how the disease develops" before deciding to remove masks entirely.
Still, if Spanish health experts really want to follow Germany's lead, it might even be possible to reintroduce masks in all indoor public spaces this winter, or at least there will be a debate.
This fall, a surge in Covid and flu cases, overwhelmed hospitals and the emergence of a new Omicron sub-variant BQ.1 prompted German authorities to consider reintroducing old Covid-19 restrictions for the winter.
Spain is also starting to see a rise in coronavirus and flu infections, and discussions about an eighth wave of the coronavirus rumbled in the background, but health ministry officials have yet to mention a possible return to indoor mask-wearing panels.
