by THE masks will no longer be compulsory next week, from February 7, also in ehealthcare establishments such as opticians or orthopedicsin addition to In public transportsbut it will be necessary to continue to put them in health centers and pharmacies. In countries like Germany, the use of masks in public transport no longer needed today transition from compulsory to voluntary and the individual responsibility of each citizen.
This was transferred to the administrators by the Minister of Health, Caroline Darias, during the meeting of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, which is being held this Thursday and in which he explains the details of the royal decree that he will bring to the Council of Ministers next Tuesday. Additionally, Darias reported the results of the checks carried out by Foreign Health travelers arriving on direct flights from the People’s Republic of China. The check was carried out on a total of 1,765 travelers and three people were detected who tested positive for covid-19.
Tuesday, at the Council of Ministers
However, it will take continue to wear masks in health centers, hospitals, residences and other health and social health centersbe workers or visitorsas well as in pharmacies.
The change to the standard that the government will approve next Tuesday will come into effect when it is published in the BOE, which is likely to take place in the next day.
Farewell to three years of pandemic
goodbye to mandatory mask in public transport puts, in a way, the final closure to a pandemic that is now three years old. This measure is a state competition, therefore, the autonomies cannot impose or withdraw their obligatory character.
The former health minister of Catalonia Josep Maria Argimon I had already questioned on several occasions the obligatory nature of this rule, which, especially in the metro and buses in cities like Barcelona, few people comply with. “We have a decree that requires you to do something that is not done”, came and said the “counsellor”. Catalonia has always been in favor of it being A recommendation and not an obligation.
In the scientific advisory committee of the covid-19 of Catalonia the general feeling is that “it does not make sense” to maintain this standard if the same is not done on other points where there are crowds, as collected at the time this journal. The truth is that there is no single position on the issue: although some think it is better than nothing, others think the effect of the mask on public transport is right now minimum. Other voices bet to take it out when the cold falls.
Critics of epidemiologists
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However, experts like Joan Cayla, member of the Spanish Society of Epidemiology (SEE), were alerted last week in this newspaper of this decision. “There is a lot of interest in removing it at least OBLIGATORY. It would be necessary, through a good communication strategy people understand that there is still a lot of transmission. Whether it’s ultimately mandatory or not, people should have responsibility to take him to certain places”, says Caylà, who forbids using it indoors.
In the opinion of Caylà, shared by other specialists, “It’s not the best time because we’re in flu season.” Furthermore, the epidemiologist also regrets that society ‘normalizes’ number of covid deaths (disease more deadly than the flu), which is still very high. And remember that the World Health Organization (WHO) continues to defend this masks they are useful to protect you from this virus and other respiratory viruses.
