Madrid: People in Spain will no longer be required to wear face masks on public transport, the government announced Tuesday, ending one of the country’s last remaining rules against the coronavirus pandemic.
Health Minister Carolina Darías said rules requiring masks on trains, buses and ferries will expire on Wednesday but will continue to apply in hospitals, health centers and nursing homes.
The measure is possible because Spain’s Covid-19 “currently very stable epidemiological situation”, she said at a press conference after the weekly ministerial meeting.
In April 2022, Spain ended its nearly two-year rule mandating the use of masks indoors, making the mandate only for public transport, hospitals, health centers and nursing homes.
Masks became mandatory indoors and outdoors shortly after the Covid-19 pandemic started in Spain in early 2020.
Restrictions on outdoor use were lifted in mid-2021, but were reimposed from December to February as infections with the highly contagious Omicron variant surged.
Spain, one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, has gained an edge against Covid-19 thanks to vaccinating more than 90% of its population. -AFPMore
