Spain makes face masks mandatory in hospitals as flu and Covid cases surge
Face masks will be mandatory in hospitals and health centres in Spain from Wednesday as the country experiences a surge in cases of flu, Covid and other respiratory illnesses.
The government decision, which was made six months after the use of masks ceased to be obligatory in health facilities and pharmacies, has been met with opposition from some regional administrations.
But Spain’s new health minister, Mónica García, overruled their objections and sought to present the move as a “commonsense measure”.
“We’ve talked and we’ve reflected deeply on the role of masks – especially in health centres and hospitals – when it comes to protecting both patients and health professionals,” she said after a meeting of regional health authorities on Monday.
“It’s an effective, commonsense measure and one that is backed by scientific evidence and that is well received by the public.” governments, which are usually responsible for healthcare in their respective regions, have already decreed the wearing of masks in health facilities, others are bitterly opposed.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the rightwing, populist president of the Madrid region and a vociferous and persistent critic of Spain’s socialist-led coalition government, said García’s decision to mandate mask use from central government was unfounded and unnecessary.
“Making masks obligatory now shows improvisation,” she wrote on X on Tuesday. “Madrid has fewer cases because it has been working against flu for a long time: strategies; recommendations; daily monitoring, vaccinations … Imposition through imposition is the resort of a weak manager.”
The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said last month that “several viral and bacterial respiratory pathogens are expected to continue co-circulating at variable levels