With the mandatory use of the Covid Certificate withdrawn and 100% capacity restored at sporting events, the main national restrictions that are still in force against Covid are the obligation to wear masks indoors, social distancing, and the quarantine of those infected. The progressive decline in the indicators of the pandemic, although slow in the case of deaths and hospital pressure, has led to debate about when to relax these measures, but the Spanish Government prefers to remain prudent.
The Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sanchez, confirmed yesterday (Monday) that the end of wearing masks indoors is on the Governments agenda, but won’t give a deadline when it will happen yet, only saying: “Hopefully it will be sooner rather than later.”
Sanchez said this when appearing with the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, who is visiting Spain, and contained a certain poignancy because Denmark was the first country to decree the ‘new normal’ by ending all restrictions, including masks indoors, they say, thanks to their high rate of booster doses against Covid, although they are currently facing a spike in infections that is making them cautious again.
Spain is at high levels of both primary vaccination and booster doses, but the Ministry of Health have made it clear that, for now, they are not going to make decisions similar to that of other countries.
“It will be done when science and health professionals say so," said Sanchez, who recalled that it will be the joint decision of all involved in the Inter-territorial Council as to when this ends, and that “the Government will support that decision as it involves representatives from all corners of the country.”
The situation of the pandemic is improving day by day in Spain, and is now allowing a return to some pre-pandemic scenarios. Yesterday, Catalonia took a big step in that direction by announcing that from tomorrow, Wednesday, there will be no more general quarantines at schools and only those who test positive will need to isolate, not close contacts.
Their Regional Government has made this decision with the opposition from the Ministry of Health, which has asked the regional authorities not to set individual measures that go against the majority in the Inter-territorial Council.
“The pandemic has shown us that when we are together, we go further, quicker. This type of agreement should be for everyone,“ said Minister of Health, Carolina Darias. In the last meeting, the regional health authorities postponed the debate on the end of school quarantines, and the reduction of quarantines for the whole population in general.
Meanwhile, the incidence of the virus in Spain continued its decline over the weekend and stood at 786.05 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over 14 days, compared to 919.48 on Friday. There were 48,778 new infections in Spain yesterday, which is 20,000 less than last Monday, and hospital pressure for Covid patients has also continued to fall to 7.56% (7.84% on Friday) in wards, and 13.20% (13.79% on Friday) in ICUs.
