Rules reintroduced as a “common-sense measure” despite opposition from some regional administrations
Masks will be mandatory in hospitals and gyms in Spain from Wednesday as the country experiences a surge in cases of flu, Covid and respiratory illnesses.
The government’s decision, taken six months after masks were no longer in gyms and pharmacies, has met with opposition from some regional administrations.
But Spain’s new fitness minister, Monica Garcia, rejected their objections and tried to portray it as a “common-sense measure. “
“We have had a deep discussion about the role of masks, especially in gyms and hospitals, when it comes to protecting patients and fitness professionals,” he said Monday after a meeting of regional fitness authorities.
“It’s an effective, commonsense measure and one that is backed by scientific evidence and that is well received by the public.”
Although some of Spain’s 17 autonomous governments, which are usually responsible for healthcare in their respective regions, have already decreed the wearing of masks in health facilities, others are bitterly opposed.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the right-wing populist president of the Madrid region and an outspoken and persistent critic of Spain’s Socialist-led coalition government, said Garcia’s decision to impose mask-wearing on the central government was unfounded and unnecessary.
“Making masks mandatory now is an improvisation,” he wrote Tuesday in X. “Madrid has fewer cases because it has been opposing the flu for a long time: strategies; Recommendations; daily follow-up, vaccinations, etc. Taxation is the recourse of a weak manager.
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said last month that “a number of viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens are expected to continue circulating to varying degrees in the coming months,” contributing to increased morbidity and mortality. other people to stay at home and the use of masks in medical centers.
“During the current era of virus transmission in the upper network, it is requested that, in addition to respiratory and right-hand hygiene, staff, visitors and patients in the number one and secondary physical care facilities wear medical masks. . . in non-unusual spaces of the hospital, patient rooms and other spaces where patient care is provided,” he said in an update last month.
According to the World Health Organization, at the end of 2023, Spain had just about 14 million confirmed cases of Covid and almost 122,000 deaths from the virus.