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ARCHIVED - Brits warned of possible Covid restrictions in Spain this summer
Many health officials are in favour of reintroducing indoor mask-wearing in Spain
It’s fair to say that the summer season in Spain hasn’t taken off with the greatest of starts. Travel chaos reigns, with Ryanair and easyJet cabin crew striking throughout the month of July, resulting in hundreds of cancelled and delayed flights.
The good news is that Brits can now use the automatic eGates usually reserved for EU travellers on arrival at Spanish airports, which should make passport control a bit quicker.
However, there is yet another fly in the ointment as several health experts and officials have hinted that mask-wearing may be considered once again, even though the measure was only lifted in April.
For now, the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, has called for “prudence” as coronavirus cases are spiralling and although no official line has been taken, she has recommended that people wear masks indoors in crowded places. She also pleaded with the public to receive a booster jab.
In the Canary Islands, a destination particularly popular with British holidaymakers, public health official Amos Garcia Rojas said that the reintroduction of masks indoors can’t be ruled out this summer.
"The pandemic is not gone. It is necessary to continue maintaining certain restrictions and care, perhaps in the obligation to wear a mask indoors, if the situation does not improve.
"To all this must be added the appearance of new variants of Covid, which have more transmissible characteristics, which cause many more infections, but fortunately are also less virulent, most are mild or asymptomatic."
Mr Rojas said the current spike in cases “is not as dramatic” as previous waves but the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron subvariants have hit Spain with a bang, pushing the cumulative incidence rate close to the 1,000-case mark this week and landing more than 10,000 patients in hospital beds with Covid-related illnesses.
Earlier in the year, Spanish authorities cautioned tourists against attending illegal raves which are an ever-growing problem on the islands, and the official echoed this sentiment:
"The massive parties that are taking place in Tenerife and Gran Canaria will lead to more infections. If the situation is not redirected, measures will have to be taken," he warned.
Meanwhile, the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, is fully in favour of reintroducing masks in indoor settings this summer.
He said: "Otherwise, we are going to have a summer with many health problems that will affect the wellbeing and lives of many."
Image: Archive
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