For almost three years, every time we use public transport we have to do so with a mask: its use continues to be imperative, just like in pharmacies or health centers. An obligation that has the days we count: goodbye to the mask would be just around the corner, At least in the means of transport.
At the end of the year, the Ministry of Health explained that they had considered eliminating the mandatory use of the mask on public transport in March 2023. Since then they have continued to observe the epidemiological situation and its evolution with a favorable prognosis: the good data would have pushed them to advance the end of the mask Not in vain, Ponencia de Alertas (the body made up of experts that advise the Ministry of Health) believe that the time has come to say goodbye to this means of protection.
possible dates
Is there a specific date for the mask to stop being mandatory on public transport? No but everything points to the beginning of February, It would no longer be necessary to use the subway, the bus or to travel by train or plane. However, when this obligation disappears, its use on public transport will be recommended due to a simple recommendation.
If February is the chosen month, there would be almost two weeks left to say goodbye to the mask. Why haven’t they announced the decision yet? Because they want to wait to finish the evaluation of the impact that the current epidemiological situation in China has had.
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Carolina Darias, Minister of Health, went through the microphones of SER Las Palmas at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) that opened this week in Madrid. There she explained that the decision will be made based on what the experts say, but she revealed that The end of the masks is getting “closer” (…) We will have to see how the times evolve, although we must observe how China evolves to make the decision”.
The truth is that, after the first week with open flights from China, Spain has not noticed any effect. Special surveillance has been carried out at airports, where more than 500 tests have been carried out on 1,047 passengers. Only two positives have been detected and they corresponded to known variants. The data reveals that the situation in our country is stable and that the incidence is declining: so much so that the impact on hospitals is minimal and an increase is not expected in the coming weeks.
Mandatory in certain places
This being the case, the end of the mandatory mask on public transport will be closer than citizens thought. The Ministry of Health, however, recalls that with any worsening of the situation, its use would once again be imperative. It may also no longer be necessary in pharmacies, although in health centers it will continue to be essential.
The World Health Organization (WHO), For its part, it continues to advise the use of the mask in large events and in all closed spaces, including public transport: even more so when there is a risk of contagion. In Spain, however, it ceased to be mandatory in these scenarios in April 2022.