Spain ends outdoor mask mandate as coronavirus surge ebbs

However, masks remain mandatory in indoor public spaces, including public transportation, and when people are unable to ensure social distancing

Spain is scrapping a mandate to wear masks outdoors, as Covid-19 infection rates drop and hospitals report fewer admissions. Mask-wearing will not be necessary outside beginning Thursday, government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said Tuesday after a weekly Cabinet meeting.

The rule change includes children at school during their breaks outside between classes.

However, masks remain mandatory in indoor public spaces, including public transportation, and when people are unable to keep a safe distance of 1.5 metres between one another. The measure reverses a step taken last December amid an unprecedented surge in infections, fuelled by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

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Official health ministry data showed how the spread of the virus gathered speed in November and peaked on January 21 at 3,418 new infections per 100,000 residents over two weeks, a pandemic record. Contagion has since slowed down, with the 14-day figure dropping to just under 2,000.

Authorities credit a strong vaccination rate of nearly 81 per cent of Spain's 47 million people for a lower hospital admission rate of Covid-19 patients than in previous infection surges.

Spain has officially recorded more than 94,000 deaths linked to Covid-19.

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