The Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) has asked the Government and Autonomous Communities (regions of Spain) that from Monday, when the state of alarm has finished, to amend the ruling for the mandatory use of masks outdoors, except when close contact with other people and the safety distance cannot be guaranteed.
"For the OCU, the constant obligation is an ineffective measure at the present time and causes fatigue in citizens with a counterproductive result", and therefore, they believe it necessary, in this regard, “to modify and clarify certain rules for the use of face masks.”
The organization argues that the scientific evidence accumulated since the beginning of the pandemic makes it necessary to rethink some of the prevention measures that were proposed at a time when the uncertainty about the transmission of the infection was greater.
In their opinion, in line with the recommendations of experts and scientists, “it is necessary to emphasize the protection measures inside shared public spaces of any nature, where adequate ventilation must be guaranteed and, there yes, the use of masks is necessary”.
Therefore, it considers it necessary to "focus" the recommendations to the population in relation to capacity, determined by homogeneous and well-founded criteria, "which should also be accompanied by clear guidelines on the healthiness of the indoor environment"; likewise, it warns that the “fatigue” of citizens when it comes to constantly wearing a mask can “even lead to a satiety that, by extension, makes its use cease to be respected, or that it is inappropriate in situations in which it continues being necessary”.
Finally, the OCU requests that the visitation regime to nursing homes and residences for the elderly be standardized in a common way, taking into account that the vaccination of practically all residents, users and workers has already been carried out, to the extent that these visits are essential to maintain both the mental health and the cognitive capacity of the residents, and give peace of mind to their families.
