Spain's government proposed a nationwide mandate for people to wear masks in hospitals and health clinics, and Italy said respiratory illness infection rates had hit a record, as flu and COVID spread across Europe. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control recommended that people on the continent stay home if they feel sick, and consider wearing masks in crowds or healthcare settings, with flu spreading as it typically does this time of year but hitting some countries harder than others.
It said Europeans should follow national guidelines on vaccinating vulnerable groups. Flu is now circulating at higher levels than other common respiratory pathogens, including the Sars-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19, it said.
Several Spanish regions already ordered patients, visitors and staff at hospitals to wear masks last week. Spain's central government proposed on Monday extending that requirement nationwide, but regional leaders in charge of health policy have so far rejected that, with a decision expected tomorrow.
So far the Balearics have rejected the move. "One thing we know will limit epidemics and protect vulnerable people is the mask," Health Minister Monica Garcia said on TVE. "It is a common sense measure, scientifically supported and widely accepted by the public." The government has also proposed allowing people to self-diagnose lighter cases and take three days off work rather than needing a doctor's note, Garcia said.
Spain was among the last European countries to drop requirements to wear face masks following the COVID-19 pandemic, with people told to wear them on public transport until February 2023, and in health centres and pharmacies until July.