The mask will remain mandatory under penalty of a fine in Spain once the deconfinement is complete and until the coronavirus is " definitively defeated ", announced Tuesday the Minister of Health Salvador Illa.
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A fine of 100 euros may be imposed on people who do not carry it on public roads, or in closed places such as shops when they cannot maintain a safety distance of 1.5 meters with those around them, said the ministry in a press release. It will also remain compulsory in public transport, on airplanes or in private vehicles whose occupants do not share the same domicile.
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Spain, one of the countries most affected by the pandemic in the world with more than 27,000 deaths, has imposed the mask on the over 6 years since May 21 on the public highway and in closed places if the safety distance cannot be maintained. It was mandatory since May 4 in public transport.
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Maintaining the mandatory nature of the mask is part of a set of measures intended to continue the fight against the virus, once the deconfinement is complete and the state of alert lifted on June 21. " These measures which were in effect during the state of alert will remain in force until we have definitively overcome the virus, that is to say when we have an effective therapy or a vaccine ", insisted the Minister of Health.