The Spanish cabinet formally gave the green light this Tuesday to a change that was already known. Masks will no longer be mandatory indoors from this Wednesday April 20th. In some places, however, the requirement remains. The places where mask use continues to be mandatory are: in all public transport vehicles, hospitals, health centres and nursing homes. In addition, according to the Spanish health minister, Carolina Darias, masks will also be needed in pharmacies. As she herself stated during the press conference after the Spanish cabinet meeting, the possibility of leaving masks behind is "thanks to vaccine coverage". With the data in hand, Darias said that 92% of the Spanish population are fully vaccinated, that is, the initial (in most cases) two-shot schedule, which means that about 39 million Spaniards are vaccinated against Covid. In addition, 80% of the populations have had a booster dose on top.
The obligation to wear masks in the above locations is also included in the royal decree passed today. "Today is an important day, we continue to pass through barriers," she said. "It's another step in the evolution of the pandemic." Darias emphasized, once again, that the advance of the pandemic and the withdrawal of Covid measures has always gone hand in hand with the science.
Thus, the end of indoor masking has been made possible by positive evolution of the Covid data. "We continue making progress and we continue to move with prudence." In this regard, she reiterated that masks are and have been one of the most identifiable elements of the pandemic. Thus, she stressed that they are no longer mandatory, but will continue to be a visible element for people.
What will happen in work environments? At work, the guideline is "depending on the risk." Darias stated that each company will have to make decisions based on the risk that may be present, taking into account factors such as distance between workers and ventilation. If the company recommends using masks and workers do not want to, then, said the minister, common sense must prevail.
In Catalan schools, masks off the day before
The return to school after Easter in Catalonia marked the start of mask-free classes in Catalan schools - one day ahead of the wider masks-off day. That was possible this Tuesday for both primary and secondary students, after the official Catalan gazette published the resolution that establishing it. It only mentioned primary and secondary schools jumping the gun on the withdrawal of masks, saying nothing about the students in post-compulsory education or the staff working in the centres.
However, this ambiguity will be resolved on Wednesday morning, on April 20th, when indoor masks cease to be mandatory in Spain, with the exception of the mentioned health-related spaces and public transport. The Catalan health department argues that the withdrawal of the mask entails a benefit to wellbeing, "which outweighs the risk of transmission."