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Several Spanish holiday resorts are reinstating mandatory regulations on wearing face masks as Covid-19 cases this winter. Hospitals and gyms are reportedly struggling to cope with the influx of patients, with some waiting for hours or even in hallways.
The Spanish Society for Family Doctors is urging regions to enforce compulsory masks. Although no official announcement has been made by the Spanish Government, the nation is highly regionalised and areas have often have autonomy to act without government permission.
Today’s reports imply that the Valencia region, home to Benidorm, Alicante and other holiday spots, has reintroduced the mask in some situations. Officials say the measure was taken due to the accumulation of respiratory infections and will be implemented in gyms and hospitals.
Valencia, which is a region of 5,219,000 people and includes the city by the same name, is reporting a rate of 1,501 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The mask mandate will be paired alongside an increased push for people to get a flu jab and Covid-19 booster if eligible.
Currently, the use of a mask is mandatory in the Valencian Community in the following situations:
Spanish health authorities believe cases of cold, flu and Covid-19 will peak during the third week of January, then slowly taper down. Currently, if you test positive for Covid-19 in Spain you do not have to self isolate, but exercising caution is encouraged.
Spain lifted almost all of its Coronavirus measures back in 2022, but the public still had to wear masks on the likes of buses and trains for a while longer. After a rise in Covid-19 cases and a new variant in early 2023, there were reports suggesting these measures could be reintroduced, but the rules never returned.