Covid Health Crisis Declared OVER In Spain With Elimination Of Masks Finally Approved

The health crisis in Spain due to the coronavirus pandemic was declared to be over this Tuesday, July 4, during a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

As a result, the mandatory use of masks will be scrapped in health centres, social health centres and health establishments such as pharmacies and dentists.

It is expected to be confirmed when today’s Decree is published in the Official State Gazette (BOE) either this Wednesday or Thursday.

It will be official once it is published in the BOE

Once the information appears in the BOE, the use of masks will only be ‘recommended’ or in some cases ‘highly recommended in certain environments inhabited by vulnerable people and in case of respiratory infection symptoms.

The withdrawal of masks should be complied with almost generally, except in vulnerable spaces such as Oncology areas, ICUs, operating rooms, or emergency departments.

They would also be needed where there are critically ill or immunosuppressed patients, or where health personnel already recommended using the mask prior to the irruption of the pandemic.

José Miñones praised his predecessors and their work

In the subsequent press conference, José Miñones, the Minister of Health, recognised the work carried out by his two predecessors. These were the former health ministers Salvador Illa and Carolina Darias.

He praised the vaccination campaign carried out in Spain and highlighted that the end of mask usage comes in ‘a totally different situation’.

Covid patients currently account for less than 1 per cent of hospitalisations

Hospitalisations in the ICU due to Covid ‘do not reach 1 per cent’ of the total he pointed out, after 1,207 days of epidemiological emergency. ‘Although the disease is still present, it is no longer a health crisis’, Miñones summarised.

Today’s decision was approved with the support of Public Health specialists after hearing the favourable technical report from the experts from the Health Alerts and Emergencies Coordination Center (CCAES), led by Dr Fernando Simón.

Miñones had already advanced in recent days that this measure would only be taken after ‘listening to the experts’. He also referred to the Covid vaccine developed in Spain by the Hipra company, which he has said represented: ‘another of the great advances this year that allows us to face the future and other possible health crises with greater security’.

With the lifting of this last remaining measure, the Spanish population fully recovers the pre-pandemic normality of more than three years ago.

Miñones urged ‘common sense’ despite masks being eliminated

However, Miñones appealed to ‘common sense’ and recalled that the use of a mask continues to be a recommendation for people with symptoms of a respiratory infection – be it Covid, flu, or a cold.

Specialists consulted by 20minutos.es indicated that this measure already comes ‘late’ and that its lifting will not have a significant impact on the current epidemiological situation.

According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health, just 1.09 per cent of all hospital beds in the country are occupied by patients admitted for Covid, and in the ICU, this percentage is 0.99 per cent.

In absolute numbers, there are currently 1,297 people hospitalised for coronavirus complications and another 86 are in intensive care. At a general level, the Carlos III Health Institute estimated Covid positivity at 15.2 per cent in Primary Care and 10.9 per cent in hospitals.