The Council of Ministers is expected to approve the proposal to remove the mandatory use of masks on public transport on February 7, as announced this Thursday by the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias.
In statements to journalists after the presentation of the results of the PASOS 2022 study, Darias has set a date for this measure, which is expected to come into force the day after its approval by the Council of Ministers.
The mask will continue to be mandatory in Spain in health centers such as hospitals or health centers and in social health centers such as opticians, pharmacies or dental clinics.
The minister, after receiving the proposal from the Alerts Committee in which it advised removing the mandatory nature, will convene the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System next week to report on this measure, which will then be approved by the Council of Ministers.
The decision is being taken now because, according to the minister, the data on infections and the evolution of the pandemic show a "very stable" situation that already advises the withdrawal, although she has asked for "time" to extend that withdrawal to other spaces. "Step by step", she said.
The minister has vindicated the effort of citizens, experts, health workers and the autonomous communities and the Government to deal with the pandemic.
The director of the Center for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health (CCAES), Fernando Simón, already assured this Wednesday that this measure would arrive "shortly" and within a "very short" period of time.
