Masks Finally Eliminated In Hospitals, Health Centres And Pharmacies In Spain

The mandatory wearing of masks in hospitals, health centres and pharmacies in Spain has finally come to an end.

A decision on this matter was reached today, Friday, June 23, by the  Ministry of Health and the autonomous communities. These medical establishments were the only ones where the restriction was still in place.

From today, the use of this protection will still be recommended, but it will not be mandatory. It will only be required in areas where there are immunosuppressed patients, such as cancer units or operating rooms and ICUs.

The Interterritorial Council made its decision after analysing a document regarding the situation of the pandemic in Spain, according to lasprovincias.es.

It was prepared for today’s meeting by experts from the Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), which is directed by Fernando Simón.

The options that were placed on the table were reportedly varied. They included the complete withdrawal of the obligation in a prolonged manner, definitively, or in a phased manner.

José Miñones, the Minister of Health, assured last week that the decision to suppress the masks in these places should be based on the opinion of the experts.

Hospitals, nursing homes (for workers and visitors) and pharmacies were the only places in which the use of the mask continued to be mandatory until today.

On February 8, this protection was abolished in public transport, where it had been established on May 4, 2020, during the first wave of the pandemic.

However, the Covid-19 situation is very different now. Not even events that on other occasions led to an uptick in infections – such as Easter, or the start of summer festivities – have caused cases to skyrocket this time.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, published last Friday 16, the cumulative incidence in those over 60 years of age – the only one that is now measured – stood at 66.52 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Coronavirus patients represented only 1.42 per cent of hospitalisations in hospital wards and 1.12 per cent in the ICUs.