Spain Lifts Outdoor Mask Mandate

Spain is canceling the mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors, Health Minister Carolina Darias said on Thursday

MADRID (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 24th June, 2021) Spain is canceling the mandatory wearing of face masks outdoors, Health Minister Carolina Darias said on Thursday.

The measure will take effect on June 26. About a year ago, Spain passed a law mandating that everyone six and up must wear a mask both indoors and outdoors.

"This helped to protect against the virus, to protect others, and also to some extent allowed us to protect social interaction ... All indicators are developing positively, " the minister told a press conference after a government meeting.

In addition, people are now also allowed to attend football and basketball matches of professional leagues. There will be no need to wear masks given a social distance of 1.5 meters at open stadiums. The decision on how many fans will be able to attend sporting events is to be made by the autonomous communities' authorities.

As of yesterday, the number of fully vaccinated residents of Spain exceeded 15 million.

According to the Johns Hopkins University, the country has logged over 3.7 million COVID-19 cases, including more than 80,000 deaths.