For most people, the Prime Minister's decision to reimpose the wearing of masks in exteriors won't make a difference, as they already wear one on the streets.
On a positive note, for businesses fearing crippling restrictions, there will be no restrictions on opening hours or maximum occupation on their premises imposed by the Central Government.
The new measure was presented at the meeting between health representatives from the Central Government and their regional counterparts yesterday, where it did not attract unanimous backing as it was considered insufficient.
This measure, which comes into force on Friday, will allow exceptions such as for those practicing outdoor sports, however for members of the general public, a mask must be worn regardlessly of whether a safety distance of 1.5m can be kept or not.
In other words, it logically means that even if you are alone on a particular street, you should be wearing a mask.
The obligatory use of mask in exteriors is part of the crash programme, together with an accelerated vaccination campaign, administering a third dose, with which the Central Government hopes to tackle the Covid variant Omicron.
The Regional Government of Cataluña asked for a night curfew and the Basque Government asked for maximum occupation on premises to be reduced but neither measure was taken up by the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez. Consequently the Basque, Catalán, Andalusian and Galician regional governments are not happy and consider this step taken by the Central Government as insufficient.
So, whether there will be restrictions on the hostelry sector over Christmas or on how many people can gather under one roof, will depend on each regional government, which in our case is the Junta de Andalucía.
The problem with this is that each of the 17 regional governments will choose their own measures meaning that the country will end up like a patchwork quilt and by crossing over from one to the other you could find different restrictions in place.
In the meantime, the PM is putting all his faith on mass vaccines and obligatory mask wearing. There are those that consider that the obligation to wear masks on the streets should never have been dropped in the first place, which is what happened on the 25th of June.
There will be a cabinet meeting later today where the new measure will be approved and published in the BOE (official national gazette).
Editorial comment: it is obvious that the PM is balancing public health against the economic health of the hostelry sector; i,e, the prime motor of the Spanish economy.
As it is, restaurant and bar owners are struggling to comply with the obligation to present a Covid Certificate in paper or digital form in order to enter. Most business simply do not have the staff to have somebody permanently at the door and besides, waiters are not policemen so there will be confrontations with the recalcitrant amongst us.
It is also the case, perhaps, that the PM is letting regional governments take the flak for imposing unpopular measures. If a regional government that made the point of asking for restrictions on businesses yet doesn’t impose them when it has the chance, then it will lose smarty points – a win-win situation, politically speaking, for the PM.
On the other hand, regional governments, run by the opposition, had wanted the PM to impose heavier restrictions so that they could dodge the responsibility.
Politicians playing at politics when the country need politicians to behave like adults instead of children. What we need is a Central Government to make decisions for the whole country and for opposition leaders to back them in times of crisis.
(News: Spain)
Darren: Well said!
Masks aren’t just behavioural props though…they do help to a certain extent, as does being vaccinated. Neither are shields of invulnerability, alas; but it’s all about improving the odds at this stage in the game. Social distancing helps, as does avoiding indoor public spaces (the smaller and more crowded, the harder you should avoid them).
Overall, I’m impressed with the way the Spanish government and people have handled things so far. The government have been walking the tightrope between economic and viral damage (while simultaneously being fair and evenhanded, a tricky one to pull off); and the vast majority of the people (that I’ve seen…anecdotal) seem to be taking things seriously and proportionately. This summer’s tourist season went a lot better than I was expecting it to. Some of the rules were a bit silly; and when you’re legislating for 47m people you’re going to annoy *somebody* whatever you do, but on the whole, it’s been a good job so far.
Putting my Cassandra hat on, I think the figures for the 3rd/4th week of January are going to be interesting. Personally, I intend to stay indoors and practice my hermiting. Bah humbug!
They have just announced that it comes into force midnight, tonight.
Teresa needn’t worry because you do not need to wear a mask if you are out walking in the countryside – have one on you, but you don’t need to wear it.
Of course blanket rules have their downsides but the message is clear. If you happen to be out in the sticks with no-one about then clearly wearing a mask is not going to achieve anything but have one handy just on case someone outside your bubble appears
Here we go again with the anti maskers….
I hope everyone realizes that with a more contagious variant that the barrier methods such as distancing and flimsy masks are less effective. That is the meaning of “more contagious”. If anyone doubts that, please consider volunteering to help in the next Ebola outbreak wearing your mask instead of the full PPE that is usually used.
However, masks work at the behavioural level: they identify dangerous situations to be avoided. So, in most countries, avoid public transport and indoor settings. In Spain, avoid leaving home. And this will work – don’t leave home and there will be fewer cases of this milder, more contagious form of Covid.
I object to having to wear a mask when out in the campo where nobody is around or you are out with members of your own household.