Furious Brits have demanded tourists turn their back on an idyllic Spanish city after it was announced “ridiculous” new measures would be introduced against coronavirus and winter flu.
Those living inside Valencia – one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations – have been told that strict new rules for people visiting the region will be put back in place.
Among the regulations is the reintroduction of face masks in the face of cases of coronavirus and winter flu in the country.
But Brits unleashed their fury online at the decision, with many bemoaning the Spanish authorities for bringing back such a hated rule.
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One wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was now a “place to flee at all costs,” while another frustrated tourist simply said, “Ridiculous. “
Meanwhile others called for a “boycott”, as a fourth raged: “How absurd masks don’t work, and it is 2024, beyond time to leave that nonsense behind.”
The plea for facemasks to be used once again was made by the Spanish Society for Family Doctors, who said it was vital they were worn to curb a worrying rise in cases.
Valencia is one of the sites selected by the authorities, who also proposed that they be used by other people who run in shared spaces, professionals who care for symptomatic cases and people who run in intensive care units and with vulnerable patients.
The hated rule, which was adopted across the world when COVID-19 first raged in 2020, would help ease the workload on hospital wards, including primary care emergency spaces.
Valencia is facing a disease of about 1,500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
So far, a complete ban has still been imposed across Spain, but there are fears it could be implemented nationwide.
The flu is still a common illness in the winter months and experts say a surge in cases will be noticed in the third week of January.
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