Government delays end of indoor masks in Spain: "It's closer"
On Thursday, Minister of Health Carolina Darias stressed that "we have to agree not only on when but also on how"
"It is true that everything indicates that when is getting closer, but for us the when is as important as the how."
The Spanish Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, said on Thursday that the end of the mandatory use of face covers indoors in Spain is now closer, but she avoided specifying concrete deadlines.
The Central Government did not finally address the removal of the mask indoors at the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System held on Thursday.
The minister's words, and her emphasis on how to carry out the lifting of the measure, show the different points of view that exist within the Interterritorial Health Council, in which the central and regional governments participate.
Most EU countries have already abolished the measure or have set a specific date to lift it.
In Spain, the governments of some regions - including Madrid and Catalonia - have put pressure on the health authorities so that the measure be abandoned as soon as possible. Others propose gradual withdrawals, starting for example with schools. For some regions such as the Basque Country, it is still too early to remove the mask.
'Soon'
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has already said twice that it will be approved "soon", but he has not wanted to specify deadlines either.
On Thursday, Minister Darias stressed that "we have to agree not only on when but also on how. When that happens, we will let you know."
Spain now has a cumulative incidence of 429 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants in the past two weeks, according to the Ministry of Health.