Catalonia urges Spain to remove face masks indoors

Catalan health authorities have sent a letter to the Spanish ministry of health to call for the removal of the obligation to wear face masks indoors. 

They also urge that if the measure cannot be applied to wider society, then they want the topic to at least be applied to school children. 

Catalonia’s department of health argue that face-coverings should still be worn in certain settings such as public transport and in health centers, but they would like to see the measure be scrapped in general society. 

Health authorities from Catalonia had already asked the Catalan government to remove the indoor face mask mandate in primary school last week, but the proposal would only be considered if the Spanish Interterritorial Council meeting rejects this request to lift the mask mandate, as it is currently a Spain-wide obligation to wear them indoors. 

The letter sent on Tuesday also explained that Catalan health minister Josep Maria Argimon will not participate in the Interterritorial Council meeting on Wednesday – the meeting in which Catalonia wants the issue of removing face masks to be discussed. They explained that Argimon has to be present in the Catalan parliament and delegation is not permitted.

New pandemic protocol

Catalonia recently made the decision to no longer provide daily Covid-19 updates, as they had for two years, but rather only twice a week. 

The new protocol has been decided because there will also no longer be an obligation to be tested for the coronavirus for the general population, and therefore the figures will not be comparable with those registered in the past two years. 

Testing will only be compulsory for people aged 60+, vulnerable people, people working in places where vulnerable people are i.e. health centers and care homes, cases of serious illness, and people returning from countries with new variants.

Close contacts of positive cases will no longer be actively contacted by health authorities. Instead, this will only be done with a process of self-declaration. They will not need to have a Covid test or quarantine.

The decision is part of Catalonia's adaptation to the new strategy to monitor the pandemic approved by the Spanish health ministry and regional governments earlier this week, which included removing quarantines for people positive with Covid-19 but who only have light symptoms or none at all. The new protocol comes into force next Monday, March 28.

The obligation to stay home and get a test will only apply to vulnerable communities or those sharing spaces with vulnerable people.