Spain to end compulsory isolation for those infected with mild Covid-19

Latest: Coronavirus in Spain weekly figures (8 April)

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Spain’s health authorities are taking a step closer to normalising life in co-existence with Covid-19, by doing away with compulsory quarantines, starting from Monday 28 March – for those infected with the virus but showing no or mild symptoms of the disease.

Under current restrictions, seven days of isolation are compulsory for anyone who tests positive for Coronavirus.

From Monday, free Covid-19 tests will also only be carried out on high-risk groups, at health facilities and nursing homes, and on patients with the worse conditions, Spain’s Health Ministry said on Tuesday. The decision was taken by the country’s Commission on Public Health.

Nearly all of Spain’s regions have virtually lifted most previous Covid restrictions such as capacity limits, curfews, opening hours, nightclub closures, as well as the Covid health pass for bars and restaurants.

The major Covid rule that remains in place is the requirement to wear face masks in indoor public spaces, although at the start of this month Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised the rule would be removed ‘very soon’.

Amid high levels of vaccination, the rate of Coronavirus contagion remains still above 400 new cases per 100,000 residents in 14 days, a high-risk level but way down from the mid-January record. Fueled by the Omicron variant, the highest recorded incidence rate in Spain throughout the entire pandemic was 3,418 on Friday 21 January.

Since the first case was identified in early 2020, Spain has officially reported 11.3 million infections and just over 100,000 confirmed deaths, although the accuracy of record-keeping has varied during the pandemic.