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ARCHIVED - Spanish government delays decision on relaxing facemask rules
Some regions are in a hurry to de-escalate but Andalucía warns of incidence rates rising in the region
There was a great sense of anticipation in Spain on Tuesday prior to a meeting at which it had been reported that the Ministry of Health would be discussing the possibility of partially relaxing the enforcement of obligatory facemask-wearing in public places, but in the end no concrete news emerged regarding when this might become a feasible option.
The Ministry limited itself to stating that this relaxation in the pandemic restrictions will depend on the rate at which the coronavirus vaccination campaign progresses, and in no case will it become a possibility before 50 per cent of the population have been fully immunized. At present the proportion stands at 27.4 per cent, although it is anticipated that by the end of the week it will have risen to over 30 per cent.
Fernando Simón, the Director of the Coordination Centre for Health Alerts and Emergencies, explained that “we are waiting for the right moment and it will come soon, but in no way can we yet announce a definite date”. Vaccination projections suggest that the criterion of immunizing half of the population will be met some time in July.
As ever, the approaches to introducing less strict rules regarding facemasks differ considerably among the 17 regional governments of Spain. Madrid is among the most cautious of the regional governments in this respect, as are Galicia and the Basque Country, although incidence rates are zero or very close to zero in many parts of Galicia.
On the other hand, Castilla-La Mancha has suggested a gradual de-escalation by municipalities according to local incidence rates, while demands have been made in Catalunya for the immediate removal of the obligation to wear masks. This opinion has also been voiced by Ximo Puig, the president of the Valenica government, while in the Region of Murcia the Health minister has advocated a lifting of the obligation as of early July.
In Andalucía, though, the region with the Covid highest incidence rate at present, it is reported that the keenness of those who have not yet been vaccinated to jump the gun and begin removing masks has led to an increase in infection, and the regional government is in favour of continuing with facemasks except on the beaches.