They record a man when he bullied children for wearing masks 1:53
(CNN) --
Spain will end its requirement to wear masks outdoors to protect against Covid-19 next week, Health Minister Carolina Darias said in an interview on Friday.
"Next Tuesday we will bring a decree to the Council of Ministers to eliminate the mandatory use of masks outdoors," Darias told Spain's SER radio.
The measure is expected to take effect next Thursday, February 10, he added.
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The government re-imposed the mask mandate last December, just before Christmas, after new cases of covid-19 spiked due to the omicron variant, he said.
But over the last few weeks, all "covid-19 indicators are improving, especially with regard to the circulation of the virus" and the burden of coronavirus patients in hospital beds and intensive care rooms has also decreased. Darias said.
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Spain last month reported its highest Covid-19 infection rates since the pandemic began, with much of January exceeding 3,000 cases per 100,000 people for 14 days, according to data from the Health Ministry.
But that same infection rate had dropped to 2,420 cases per 100,000 people in the latest ministry report on Thursday.
The government said the mask mandate would be in place "only for the time strictly necessary," Darias said.
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