No more compulsory masks outdoors from next week

OBLIGATORY mask-wearing in the open air is expected to end within the week, following an announcement by health minister Carolina Darías.

Spain's government plans to approve a decree to this effect on Tuesday (February 8), which will come into force on Thursday (February 10).

Masks will remain compulsory in indoor public spaces, such as shops, and on public transport, but will cease to be a legal requirement outdoors.

After months of not having to wear a mask out in the street, their mandatory use was reintroduced on Christmas Eve amid fears of rising contagion rates that may be exacerbated by gatherings of family, friends and work colleagues over the festive season.

As has been the case since summer 2020, though, masks still need to be worn outdoors in situations where keeping a minimum distance of two metres from the next person is difficult or impossible.

The only exception is on bar and restaurant terraces.

Restrictions in place to prevent the spread of Covid have been minimal for some time – since around the spring of 2021 – other than specific places and occasions where contagion levels have been particularly high.

Catalunya and Navarra have, more recently, had some of the greatest levels of restrictions, in response to high contagion rates, but the former has announced that this coming weekend will be the last, for the foreseeable future, when nightspots such as discos and music bars are closed.

From February 12 and 13, going out clubbing will be back on the agenda in the north-eastern region.

Also, starting Friday, February 4, the Canary Islands, the Basque Country and Aragón will cease to require sight of a 'Covid passport' in order to enter bars and restaurants.

Carolina Darías assures Spain is 'heading in the right direction' in terms of Covid incidence, and is now reaching the stage where restrictive measures 'can start being lifted'.