ARCHIVED - Spanish consumer rights group urges government to drop requirement to wear masks outdoors
Spain’s Organisation for Consumers and Users (OCU) is asking the government to drop laws making masks mandatory outside when the state of emergency ends on May 9.
The mandatory use of masks in Spain has been one of the most conflictive topics of the pandemic and following the decision of Spain’s central government to make face coverings obligatory in all outdoor spaces in March, (following which a rebellion by regional health authorities forced a re-think removing the requirement for masks to be worn on beaches when seated and in swimming pools) a consumer rights group is pushing the government to change the law after the state of alarm comes to an end on May 9.
The Organisation for Consumers and Users (OCU) said that masks should not be mandatory outdoors from May 9 except where there is close contact with others and safe distances cannot be guaranteed.
The body claimed that mask wearing outdoors was ineffective and was causing so much distress to some individuals that it encouraged them to not want to comply with pandemic restrictions at all and encouraged rebellion.
Instead, the group wants the government to use recent scientific understanding of the virus “to rethink some of the preventative measures that were proposed at a time when uncertainty about the transmission of the infection was greater.”
The OCU believes these measures should include protection in indoor public spaces, including better ventilation and keeping indoor capacities low.
The body also wants to the government to publish new regulations for people who have been vaccinated or who have had the virus, as well as to allow normal visiting to return to nursing homes after nearly all Spain’s care home residents and staff have been vaccinated.
Spain’s central government made it mandatory last year for face masks to be worn in all spaces in which 1.5 metres minimal social distancing could not be observed, however, different regions of Spain later introduced their own rules.
In March, the central government passed a further law making masks mandatory in all public spaces indoors and outdoors, regardless of whether social distancing was possible or not, causing growing unrest over mandatory mask wearing and leading to calls for restrictions to be dropped as Spain’s level of vaccination cover increases and the number of new cases reported falls.
The tourism sector has also called for mandatory mask-wearing outdoors to be dropped, saying that it will deter tourists from visiting the country during the summer months and is pointless if foreign tourist visitors may only enter the country if they have been vaccinated; at the moment the EU covid passport scheme is reportedly on track to begin in June and although it will facilitate movement between European member states, (at the discretion of each member state) will also encourage member states to accept travellers from third countries outside of the union, such as the UK, providing travellers have been vaccinated.