Tuesday’s government decree makes masks obligatory for staff and visitors to nursing homes and medical centers. However, patients will not always have to wear them.
All forms of public transportation will require masks, except at stations and airports.
The impact of the decree on workplaces, such as banks, factories, offices and shops, is not clear. However, the government allows employers to decide whether they want to keep them open if there is a risk to their health.
They are also recommended but not required for large gatherings, packed areas, or when there is a high risk of injury. Schools are exempted as well.
As the pandemic swept the country, masks were made mandatory in Spain starting May 20, 2020. However, the new measure is unlikely to be fully adopted until 700 days later. Many workers and clients were seen wearing masks in Madrid and Barcelona. Many people continue to use masks even after the prohibition was lifted.
The mask was “undoubtedly one of the most identifiable measures during the past two years” and will no longer be mandatory, Carolina Darias, Health Minister, said Tuesday. They will remain with us as protection, especially for the most vulnerable.
More than 92% of Spanish adults over 12 years have received at least two vaccines. With the decline in coronavirus deaths and infections in recent months, Spain has also removed mandatory home isolation for those infected by the virus.
As the pandemic is slowly fading, Spanish prosecutors are now focusing their attention on possible illegalities in mask and other medical product purchases by authorities during the crucial first months of the epidemic.
The Madrid region and the capital’s city hall are two of the most notable cases.
Two men are being investigated by state prosecutors. They are accused of taking more than 6,000,000 euros ($6.5million) in commission selling masks to Madrid city hall at exorbitantly high prices. Prosecutors claim the men bought luxury cars, watches, and even a yacht using the money.
Spanish and European prosecutors are also investigating the purchase of masks by Madrid’s regional government, in a deal that was brokered by Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the brother of the regional president. This transaction would result in a substantial commission.
Authorities in both cases claim they acted in good faith despite a national emergency, and that it was very difficult to get these products at the start of the pandemic.
The Court of Auditors in Spain found significant differences in prices for masks and other products when it examined the books of major Spanish cities and major institutions over the three-months preceding the pandemic.
