Spain is the first country in Europe to reinstate regulations on the use of face masks following a surge in coronavirus and flu cases.
The holiday hotspot is grappling with a surge in respiratory illnesses that began to rise during the holiday season and is now putting a huge strain on hospitals.
Although only 10% of Covid tests have been coming back positive – compared to over half of flu tests – coronavirus is causing a rising number of hospital admissions in Spain, especially among people over 80.
As a result, the country is reinstating the obligation to wear masks in the country’s hospitals and sports centres, although some regions such as Valencia and the Canary Islands had already implemented such measures at the beginning of the month.
While Spain is joined by Germany, Italy and France, which are suffering from a winter in which cases of coronavirus and flu are piling up, the country is the first to reinstate the rules on the use of masks that were removed in 2022.
However, those who visit Spain will not have to wear a mask as at the beginning of the pandemic, when bathers saw their beach reverie somewhat altered by the requirement to wear a mask.
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Masks are now mandatory in hospitals and fitness centers in the country and its islands. However, it is about using them only in medical spaces, joining dentists, pharmacies and physiotherapy clinics.
The UK Foreign Office has also updated its recommendation for travellers to Spain to reflect the changes, explaining: “Due to the build-up of respiratory infections such as flu and COVID-19, you may want to wear a mask when being cared for. “services such as doctors, doctors’ offices, hospitals, or pharmacies. Specific regulations on mask-wearing will likely vary by region. You deserve to consult the local government’s recommendation at your destination and make sure you know the express measures in place to more productively protect yourself and others. “
This is not transparent at this time, as existing law requires infections to drop to a certain point before this requirement can be issued across autonomous regions. Cases will have to go up to a certain point and stay there for a period of time. two weeks for the replacement to be made.
Currently, only the Basque Country and the autonomous city of Melilla have reached this point, reports La Opinión. Cases will most likely start to decline as the weather warms up in late February and March, meaning other people will have to spend more time outdoors and opportunities for spread will be reduced.
However, Professor Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist and member of Alternative Sage, told the Mirror that the coronavirus tends to confuse those trends.
“Knowledge suggests that we are almost at the peak in a number of countries, however, based on the last few years, this is not a virus that adopts a seasonal pattern, so other waves, hopefully much smaller than the one in the spring, may follow. “” he said. ” As such, it’s sensible to remain vigilant when making plans to travel. The virus is an airborne infection, and masks and ventilation can help decrease the risk of getting the infection. Therefore, I would suggest that other people use caution when traveling and stay up-to-date on recalls if they are offered. “
If you’re traveling to Spain soon, it’s worth bringing some masks. They are now affordable and easy to come by in the UK, but materials are declining in Spain.
“We have had a bit of stock shortage of masks for a couple of days, because their use was gradually put aside and, suddenly, everyone has started asking us for them, as a result of the Christmas holidays, because we are starting the peak of the flu epidemic or to access busy places, such as shopping centres or health centres,” Paula Briones, member of the Governing Board of the Official College of Pharmacists of A Coruña, told La Opinion.
Although wearing a mask is no longer unusual in most public places in Spain, as it is not in the UK, it can be polite to wear one in crowded spaces such as trains and buses. Especially if you think you have a potentially infectious respiratory disease.
Dr. Ramón Veras, spokesperson for SOS Sanidade Pública and family doctor at the San José Health Center in A Coruña, said: “Anyone who suffers from a respiratory infection will have to wear a mask, but in gyms, where it is less difficult, it is difficult to be more vulnerable people or with chronic problems, even more so. “
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