Extension of mask use ‘under consideration’

Face coverings in all public situations could be ordered in Valencia region

VALENCIA president Ximo Puig said on Wednesday that his government would take the decision ‘in the coming days’ on a more widespread obligatory use of face masks in public.

Almost all other regions in Spain have now extended the regulations to oblige people to wear masks in almost all situations outside the home.

Currently, national law only makes face masks compulsory when 1.5 metre social distancing is not possible.

Murcia president Fernando López Miras was the latest to announce the step on Monday, with compulsory use in outdoor and indoor areas, regardless of whether social distancing can be kept.

This obligation does not include outdoor sports – although use is ‘recommended’ at Murcia beaches and public outdoor swimming pools.

In Valencia Sr Puig had said at the weekend that he was against bringing in the measure in his region at that the time.

He said there were ‘areas where common sense and personal responsibility is fundamental’. However, he did not rule out taking additional measures if the situation took a turn for the worse.

Since then the increase in flare-ups – with Alicante province recording its first official outbreaks since the end of lockdown – has heaped pressure on Sr Puig’s government.

As a result he stated on Wednesday: “We are going to take decisions in the coming days.”

This would be related to face masks and also the possible ‘adaptation’ of capacity regulations in some situations due to an increased use of face coverings.

Sr Puig admitted that there has been a growing call to relax these rules in some areas.

He also called on people to ‘be responsible’ because it is ‘not possible to have a police officer behind every person’.

Murcia

The decision to extend mask use in Murcia was taken following a large increase in Covid-19 cases at the weekend.

On Saturday 21 people were diagnosed with coronavirus, taking the total number of patients to 100.

President López Miras stressed that most people have behaved responsibly but others have ignored basic safety rules by ‘acting as if nothing has happened’, and they have put the safety of the whole community at risk.

He said the aim of the measure was to prevent a second lockdown in the region.

“The virus is still out there and we must all behave responsibly,” he said.

A total of 21 patients are being treated in hospital in Murcia region and another 79 are in isolation at home.

According to the authorities, 60 of the infections have been caused by two Bolivian people, who arrived in Spain at the beginning of June and ignored the compulsory 14day quarantine obligation.

The remaining infections have occurred at family gatherings and other situations.