Last Friday could have been one like any other. However, first thing in the morning, the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, surprised us when she stated on a national radio station that the Government will eliminate the need to wear masks abroad starting next Tuesday. At least that is the plan that will be discussed this Monday with the Council of Ministers, within the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System.
The announcement, which was made known after the signing of the agreement for the acquisition of an antiviral by AstraZeneca against Covid-19, had already been previously anticipated by Cadena SER.
Darias has expressed hope that she has reached a point where it is favorable to give this news since, as she has commented, the Government’s objective has always been to maintain the measures that caused the COVID-19 pandemic “in the minimum essential time “.
The minister recalled that this decision was made in December, during the twenty-fifth Conference of Presidents, where the current situation was analyzed and evaluated. “Then remember that we were facing an exponential growth in the level of circulation, motivated by the Ómicron variant. We also had great uncertainty about how this variant would behave. We already said at that time and we have reiterated that it would continue for the essential minimum until the Epidemiological indicators will evolve. And that is what has happened. We have spent three weeks now in which all the indicators tell us what the evolution of the pandemic is, they are declining,” he argued.
Just 1 month after the 2-year anniversary of the start of the pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, there are those who have received this news as a relief, a hope that marks the end of an era that many would prefer not to remember. However, the truth is that we are still far from being able to claim victory, and although this may come as a breath of fresh air for many, for others it is a cause for concern, and there have been those who have pointed out that this decision is somewhat dissonant with Regarding the fact that, just a few days ago, Congress validated the decree to extend, precisely, the mandatory use of masks in a controversial vote.
For its part, the Basque Government indicated that it is willing to collaborate with the measure, but that it does not agree with the removal of the masks. According to official sources from the regional Executive, “the Basque Government considers that masks are a key element in the fight against the pandemic and that it is necessary that they continue to be mandatory in all public spaces.”
For his part, from the Valencian Community, President Ximo Puig joined the debate alleging the “symbolic” nature of the mask to make citizens aware that the pandemic is not over yet. He was also in favor of a “prudent” withdrawal.
It is worth mentioning that the measure would have some exceptions. For example, mass events, in which people are standing and cannot keep a distance of 1.5 meters, the rest of the individuals must wear a mask if they are within a certain proximity of the infected person.
The capacity of sporting events will go from 75% to 85% in open-air venues and from 50% to 75% in closed venues. It should be noted that, as of January 26, the Interterritorial raised these maximums and maintained the usual non-pharmacological protection measures, such as the use of masks or the restriction of drinking, eating or smoking, due to the increase in cases of infection by Omicron
On the other hand, the minister explained this Thursday that the masks “have already fulfilled their role” and that “in the face of Omicron’s loss of strength” in Spain, we can begin to ease the restrictions.
The Minister of Health went on to say that Spain entered the sixth wave later than other nations and is leaving earlier, pointing out that we are bending the curve day by day. And he continued: “All the evidence, such as the accumulated incidence and even the most sensitive data such as admissions to the ICU, support it.”
He attributed these results to the “very high” vaccination coverage in Spain, with 90.8 percent of the population over 18 years of age with the full vaccination schedule, and to the political decision to first administer the third dose to the most vulnerable.
Unlike most other countries, Spain was one of the few in Europe to require the use of masks outdoors. Only Italy, Scotland and France adopted this measure in the last wave. France has removed this restriction this week.
In any case, there is something that there is no doubt about, and it is that in the last 2 years, if we have learned anything, it is that we should not venture to think that “everything is already under control” and that the pandemic is over. Not yet.
