Masks 'no longer compulsory outdoors' from next weekend, but 'strongly advised' where social distancing is not possible

WEARING masks outdoors will cease to be compulsory from Saturday, June 26, meaning the next two days will be the last weekend of obligatory face-coverings in the street in a year.

They must still be worn in indoor areas – except, of course, on private property with one's own household members, and strongly recommended when meeting other friends or family at their homes – including in cars, unless travelling with members of the same household or alone.

At present, the moment a person in Spain steps out of his or her home, even in communal areas of apartment blocks, they are required by law to wear a correctly-fitted mask at all times – other than in bars and restaurants when physically eating or drinking, and should put them back on during after-dinner chats or long pauses between sips.

They will still be a legal requirement on public transport, even open-top buses, but have so far not been mandatory when taking part in rigorous sports activities, such as running or cycling, where they may inhibit breathing. 

If a person suffers from a medical condition that makes it dangerous – not just slightly uncomfortable, but genuinely painful and harmful to them – to wear a mask, they are required to get a note to that effect from their doctor and will need to show it if the police stop them, to prove their 'exemption'.

Even then, unmasked members of the public, with or without a doctor's note, are not permitted inside shops or public buildings, except at the discretion of the owners or managers where this is unavoidable and probably only when the premises are virtually empty.

Not only are any traders permitted to deny entry to people without a mask on, but they are actually expected to, and could face fines themselves if customers enter with their faces uncovered.

But now, they will at least be able to take these off in the street.

Opinions are sharply divided on whether this is a sensible decision or not. 

For those living in small towns, villages or open countryside, who have the pavement or footpath to themselves almost all the time or perhaps pass one person per 100 metres for a fleeting half-second – during which one of the two steps into the road to avoid the other – there is little to be gained from wearing a mask out of doors, as there is nothing they need to protect themselves from and nobody they need to protect.

But in big cities, especially during peak shopping times when pavement crowds are jostling, pressing and dense and it is impossible to avoid being within inches of anybody else most of the time, wearing a mask is every bit as necessary from an epidemiological point of view as it is inside a building.

Also, when meeting someone you know whilst out for a walk, unless you stand an absolute minimum of two metres apart when talking, wearing a mask is sensible and, some would say, ought to be compulsory.

And throughout Europe, rules on mask-wearing differ – nowhere in the European Union has made it optional across the board, although some countries require them at all times, indoors or out, and make it a legal duty for them to be of a specific type, such as an FFP2 minimum or surgical mask; others have only made them mandatory in indoor public places or on public transport.

Spain's epidemiological situation is improving dramatically, with the average contagion rate currently at about 100 per 100,000, or 0.1% of the population, and in some regions almost non-existent with a high number of towns not having had any cases at all for months.

Around 35 million doses of vaccines have been administered to date, and in theory, everyone over 60 should now be fully immunised and those in their 50s having had at least their first dose, with all regional health authorities now having started on those in their late 40s – or even younger.

Spanish president Pedro Sánchez, paying tribute to the 'excellent self-discipline' showed by residents and the 'incredible efforts' of health service personnel, said today: “Our streets, our faces, will start to regain their normal appearance in the next few days.”

Being able to axe the blanket requirement for masks in the open air has been made possible thanks to the public's having 'complied scrupulously' with the rules up to now, Sánchez stresses.

Some medical experts are alarmed at the move, warning it is 'too soon' and could lead to a spike in contagion.

To avoid this, the best approach is to keep a mask close at hand to be able to put it on quickly if you are about to be in a situation where you cannot keep at least a two-metre distance between yourself and the next person.