Valencia Seeks To Scrap Mask-Wearing On The Beach

VALENCIA seeks to scrap mask-wearing on the beach, claiming they are a ‘safe space.’
The proposal by the Central Government that masks should be mandatory on beaches throughout Spain has caused quite a stir, so much so that the president of the Valencian Community, Ximo Puig, has called for the idea to be scrapped, insisting that beaches are a “safe space.”
Mr Puig said that “ventilation is a fundamental element” in preventing the spread of coronavirus, and that studies have proved that masks are not necessary when people are sunbathing, providing that social distancing can be maintained.
The Minister of Health, Ana Barceló, echoed the president’s sentiments in a meeting of the Interterritorial Council and asked the government to review the law before the start of the summer season. Ms Barceló proposed that beach-goers should be “exempt from the use of the mask as long as they are within a security perimeter of two metres from other users.”
She did add, however, that the Valencian Community will fall in line with whatever decision the government eventually makes on the use of masks.
“Whatever the regulations, citizens must always comply with the recommendations and regulations established by the health authorities,” she said.
The Spanish Ministry of Health imposed the new law on Wednesday, March 31, meaning that anyone found sunbathing without a mask could face a fine of anywhere from €100 up to €30,000 for serious infractions.
According to Spanish daily Sur, the Minister of Health Carolina Darias said: “There is a way to apply this law in a harmonised and contextualised way because a long time has elapsed since the decree law was passed and before the parliamentary approval of the law that was published yesterday.”