On Monday, Spain's ministry of health will ask regional governments to reintroduce the mandatory wearing of face masks in health centres and in care homes.
This will be a temporary measure in response to the flu epidemic, which is being compounded by other respiratory viruses. Three regions have already implemented the measure - Catalonia, Murcia and Valencia. In Aragon, the regional government has mandated the wearing of masks by health service personnel only and not by members of the public.
An emergency meeting of the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System will be held on Monday in order to unify criteria and coordinate measures in light of the current health situation, one that is expected to worsen.
The requirement to wear masks in health centres and care homes as well as in pharmacies was finally lifted in July 2023. Although the Spanish government issued decrees for mask-wearing during the pandemic, decisions as to masks being mandatory are now those of regional governments.
Certain regions are waiting until the Monday meeting before making decisions, some of them (e.g. Madrid) preferring recommendation to wear masks rather than obligation. In the Balearics at present, there is just recommendation for people with respiratory symptoms.
The ministry of health accepts that the health system is under pressure because of specific cases of "overload". But it is not at the point of "collapse", so therefore doesn't consider it necessary to resort to drastic measures.
Nationwide, hospital admissions because of flu have risen 60% over the past week. It is flu that mainly concerns health authorities, as the incidence of Covid is way lower.