The Council of Ministers plans to approve the end of the mandatory use of masks indoors on April 19 for its entry into force the following day, April 20, with the publication of the Royal Decree in the Official State Gazette (BOE). ). This was confirmed this Wednesday by the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, to the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System. Sources present at the meeting have confirmed the information to this newspaper.
However, as a precaution, the mask will continue to be mandatory in some areas such as health and social health centers, in nursing homes and on public transport, as well as among the population at risk.
The decision has been announced by the Government during the Council meeting held in Toledo, in which the communities must debate and vote on the future of the mask in closed spaces. Some regions have openly defended the position that the Ministry has taken today, such as Madrid and Catalonia.
The announcement by Minister Darias comes one day after the Alert Report recommended that the Health Councilors withdraw the obligation to use face masks indoors due to the favorable health situation. Of course, maintaining their employment in social health centers and transport. This panel is made up of health experts and advises the Government and the autonomous communities on the most recommended measures to stop the pandemic.
Despite the fact that the paper recommends lifting its obligation, in the workplace it is advised to use the mask whenever the work must be carried out at an interpersonal distance of less than 1.5 meters and adequate ventilation of the space cannot be guaranteed. Also in the family environment, gatherings of friends and private celebrations.
Finally, it recommends its use in closed spaces for public use in which people move, such as shops (shopping centers, supermarkets or small businesses), closed spaces in which people spend time without eating or drinking (cinemas, theaters, movie theaters, concerts and museums) and in closed spaces where people spend time eating and drinking (bars, restaurants and nightlife venues).
Madrid asks to advance the measure before Easter
The Community of Madrid, for its part, has requested this Wednesday during the Interterritorial Health Council that the end of the masks indoors be effective before Easter, since in practice society has already gotten rid of the mask in its day to day.
Enrique Ruiz Escudero, the Madrid councilor, has assured that the elimination of wearing masks indoors must “be taken now”, because when decisions are made, they do not allow delays.
In addition to being kept in spaces such as hospitals, residences and public transport, there will be distinctions between people and possibly those with a weakened immune system will have to continue carrying it when the minimum safety distance – the famous meter and a half – cannot be ensured.
The medical groups are more cautious than the Ministry or a large part of the autonomous communities. They think that the new method of counting and analyzing the cases caused by the coronavirus has been around for a short time -since the end of March- and that Easter could also lead to a new upturn.
The history of masks in Spain reminds us that these everyday protective equipment today were a very scarce commodity in the early stages of the pandemic, when confinement frustrated many hopes among the population. There were many contracts made in a hurry, rushed, with unusual suppliers and with huge price premiums in the middle of a war and global marketing. It was the first symbol, perhaps with the respirators, that sounded the alarm about the extreme dependence of Spain -and Europe- on Southeast Asia, mainly on China. Today the situation is quite different. There is already national manufacturing.
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