The obligatory use of face masks on public transport in Spain will end on 7 February. Spain’s EFE news agency has reported that the government will approve in its cabinet meeting on Tuesday 7 February ‘to remove the mandatory use of masks on public transport’, with the ruling coming into immediate effect.
The only Covid-19 restriction remaining in place in Spain was the compulsory wearing of a face mask on planes, buses and other means of public transport, but not inside airports, stations or other transport hubs.
In June 2020, Spain first made the wearing of face masks compulsory indoors and outdoors, for everyone aged over six if ‘social distancing’ could not be maintained. At the time, the former health minister Salvador Illa had said that the compulsory use of face masks would remain in place ‘until a vaccine is found’.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced that face masks would no longer be required outdoors in Spain from 26 June 2021, except if a safe distance of 1.5m could not be maintained with people outside your closest social bubble. The rules for wearing face masks outside again were then reinforced from 24 December 2021.
In April 2022, Spain finally ended the compulsory use of face masks in most indoor settings.However, it remained compulsory to still wear face masks on all public transport, including on trains, coaches, planes, ferries, cable cars, trams and also taxis (even with one driver and passenger) – but not while waiting in bus or train stations, on platforms or in airports in Spain.
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