As of: January 18, 2024, 10:30 p.m
By: Judith Finsterbusch
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Due to the acute wave of infections with Covid-19, flu and other respiratory diseases, Spain reintroduced the mask requirement in health centers and hospitals on January 10th.
Madrid - Cough, runny nose, fever: The number of sick reports in Spain has been increasing for weeks, especially due to flu, Covid and other respiratory infections.
The initial care in hospitals and health centers could be reaching its limits, which is why the state government of Valencia was the first autonomous community to reintroduce the mask requirement in medical facilities on Friday, January 5th.
Five other state governments gradually followed suit, namely Murcia, Catalonia, the Canary Islands, Aragon and Asturias.
Since Wednesday, January 10th, the mask has been mandatory again throughout Spain.
Mask requirement in Spain: Masks must be worn again here
The order for this comes from the Ministry of Health in Madrid, as reported by costanachrichten.com.
On Monday, January 8th, Spain's Health Minister Mónica García met with the individual state health ministers to agree on a common approach to dealing with the flu and corona waves.
García suggested reintroducing the mask requirement in certain areas throughout Spain - several state governments reject this and instead appeal for people to wear protective masks voluntarily.
García then gave her colleagues 48 hours to make their own suggestions, which expired on Wednesday morning, January 10th.
On the same day, the mask requirement comes into force throughout Spain by order from Madrid.
However, the individual state governments are allowed to switch from the mask requirement to a recommendation as soon as the number of new infections falls for two weeks in a row.
However, the mask requirement no longer applies as comprehensively as it did during the height of the corona pandemic.
Rather, it only applies to medical facilities, especially health centers (Centros de Salud) and hospitals.
The mask must now be worn again by patients, staff and visitors.
“One of the places that are considered real infection hotspots are the waiting rooms in health centers.
The mask ensures that you don't leave there with something you didn't have before," said Health Secretary Javier Padilla.
Wearing protective masks is only recommended in retirement homes, as well as in pharmacies and “in places where there are a lot of people”.
Masks have no longer been required on planes and other means of transport in Spain since February 2023, and there are currently no plans to introduce them again.
How long the mask requirement will apply in Spain will depend on the further course of the wave of infections.
Vaccination and mask requirement: This is how Spain wants to combat the wave of infections
With the mask and an appeal to get vaccinated against flu and/or Covid, the Ministry of Health wants to avoid a collapse in hospitals and doctors' practices.
Of particular concern is the flu, which is currently responsible for most hospital admissions for respiratory infections in Spain.
And the peak of the current wave of infections has not yet been reached; experts do not expect this to happen for another 2 to 3 weeks.
Currently, the Spanish average hospital occupancy rate with patients suffering from flu, Covid-19 or other respiratory infections is “only” just under 30 per 100,000 inhabitants, but the number could rise significantly in the next few days and weeks.
Many Spaniards are voluntarily wearing masks again outside on the street.
© Luis Soto/dpa
The wave of infections is hitting the Valencia region particularly hard.
Here, non-urgent operations are being postponed as a precautionary measure in order to keep beds free; hospital occupancy due to respiratory infections is 43 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, compared to 37 in the previous week. So far, State Health Minister Marciano Gómez has spoken of “pressure” in the hospitals, “but still not from a collapse.”
There is also concern in Valencia about the number of seniors who become infected with respiratory infections and are particularly susceptible to a severe course.
Among those over 80, the incidence is currently 305 per 100,000 inhabitants, 50 points above the previous week - and the trend continues to rise.
State Minister Marciano Gómez expects that the number of infections will increase in the next few weeks; the incidence in the total population is 1,318 and thus well above the average in Spain of 952. These numbers refer to the first week of January - when Health centers where the relevant tests for flu, corona or the RSV virus are carried out were not open continuously due to the holidays.