About to be able to go without a mask outdoors in Spain? These are the countries that have already taken it away

The Voice of GaliciaMaría HermidaREDACTION / THE VOICE

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The Spanish state was known for being one of the most strict with the use of facial protection. France, Germany or the United Kingdom have already lowered their face masks, at least outdoors

The mask, a symbol of the covid-19 pandemic and one of the main weapons of protection until the arrival of the vaccine, begins to be lowered. A good part of the member countries of the European Union have already freed citizens from using it outdoors, after weeks or months ago other more advanced territories in vaccination, such as the United States or Israel, also did so. And Spain? At the moment, the Ministry of Health does not give a date for the removal of the face mask outdoors. It limits itself to saying that it will be "soon", as the President of the Government himself, Pedro Sánchez, pointed out yesterday. But, beyond the fact that it can be lowered in the short term, the case of Spain with facial protection is striking and clashes with what has been done by other countries. Below is a summary of the Spanish situation and how other states have made progress in removing the mask at the gates of the second summer of the pandemic.

Spain

Spain has been and is one of the toughest countries in all of Europe in terms of the use of a mask, which has been mandatory since the end of May 2020. But the curious thing is that, As the main experts in the transmission of the virus have criticized on numerous occasions and with little success, their use in the open air has always been more emphasized than in closed spaces, which is where the greatest danger of contagion of the virus exists. That this happened in May 2020 makes some sense, because then not even the WHO accepted that the covid was mainly transmitted by air. But that in March 2021, when the law regulating the new normality was approved, the same issue was encountered again is something that scandalized many scientists. Because it was regulated by a national law, mandatory for all autonomies, that the mask be used abroad, but some gaps were left with certain closed spaces. And, almost three months after approving the rule (which had to be made up because it was even forced to wear protection to sunbathe on the beach), the situation remains the same despite the fact that the incidence of the coronavirus has dropped greatly. Numerous autonomies have already proposed that the mask be removed but, for now, Health has been dragging its feet on this matter. Yesterday Sánchez said that it will be "soon". The date and the fine print are missing, that is, how this de-escalation will be carried out in Spain. This same Thursday, the president of the Xunta, Alberto Núñez Feijoo, advanced that he will continue to seek agreements with Health, and that "if these do not occur", a proposal will be made from Galicia next Tuesday.

France

The French country has already begun to lower its mask. With 20% of the population vaccinated with the complete regimen (a percentage lower than the Spanish) and with 58% of citizens with a single dose, the French are freed today from the use of the mask outdoors. Outdoors, they will only have to use them if there are crowds. And the face mask, which has been mandatory in France for seven months, will continue to be essential in closed spaces, the most dangerous for transmission.

Germany

The obligation to wear a mask in Germany has nothing to do with the Spanish one. Not even in the worst moments of the pandemic did the Germans have to wear face masks outside when there were no crowds. They are forced to do it indoors and on public transport. But, for the rest, and as numerous Galicians residing in Germany told La Voz, there the rule was always more lax and it is not usual for people to wear a mask on the street, much less in natural environments and little crowded.

Italy

The transalpine country did resemble Spain in terms of its harshness in the use of the mask. But, on Monday, it withdrew a large part of the restrictions and, with this, it has also made the use of face masks a little more flexible (not as much as in other countries), which is kept indoors but is only forced to be worn outdoors. when there is no distance Italy took this measure with 25% of the population over 12 years of age. Earlier today, the country announced that outdoor masks could be phased out across the board by July.

United Kingdom

Since April 22, Britons are no longer required to wear face masks outdoors. The mask is kept indoors and recommendations are made to avoid crowds or wear facial protection in crowded spaces. The British made this decision when only 17% of the population had full immunization, a percentage more than ten points below that of Spain right now.

Portugal

Portuguese neighbors have been swimming against the tide when it comes to masks. Recently, while the rest of Europe is committed to withdrawing protection, Portugal extended the obligation to wear it in public and closed spaces for public use for another three months. That means that in the neighboring country they will spend the whole summer with the mask on, even on the beach. In any case, it only takes a foray into the Portuguese country to realize that, although the face mask is worn on the street, in closed spaces the permissiveness is greater than in Spain (with the risk that this entails due to the aerosol contagion). Thus, the usual thing is that in bars and restaurants there is a general lowering of the mask throughout the entire time, while here the usual thing is to remove it only at the time of drinking and eating.

Australia, Poland and Hungary

Were among the most advanced in taking down the mask outdoors. And, currently, in none of those three countries is it mandatory to use protection.

Israel

Special mention deserves Israel. The country was one of the first in the world to make it mandatory to wear a mask, in the spring of 2020. However, on April 16 of this year, it also opened the spigot for the withdrawal of face protection. He did so guided by his enormous progress in vaccination, since at that time he already had 51% of the population with the two doses of the vaccine. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, the country decided that Israelis no longer have to wear masks in enclosed spaces. Some exceptions remain, including the use by staff in hospitals and health centers and among tourists who have not yet been vaccinated against covid-19.

Austria

The Austrian government announced today that as of July 1, the use of masks will no longer be mandatory, nor will there be capacity restrictions at major cultural and sporting events, provided that at the entrance prove to be vaccinated, healed or have recently undergone a test. The use of masks outdoors and indoors is eliminated, but with many nuances. In shops and bars you do have to carry it, as well as on public transport.

United States

The United States relaxed the use of masks as early as mid-May. It did, yes, for the vaccinated population. Thus, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) concluded that the country's vaccinated population can go without a mask in most enclosed spaces, although they must keep it in places with crowds, such as airplanes, buses and hospitals. And of course, you don't have to wear a mask outdoors either. The decision was made with 43% of the immunized population, a higher percentage than the Spanish, which is 27%. What happens to the unvaccinated in the United States? The use of face masks is more lax than in Spain and, although there are differences depending on the state, the rule remains a simple recommendation, not an obligation to wear protection outdoors. With closed spaces they are more demanding.

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