Amid the flu outbreak, regions of Spain reintroduce masks in medical centers

Five regions of Spain have announced the reinstatement of rules that make it mandatory to wear face masks in healthcare facilities. The decision was made after a surge in flu and COVID-19 cases during the holiday season.

In the Valencia region, the rate of respiratory infections rose to 1,501 cases per 100,000 inhabitants between December 26 and January 1. This is the second highest recorded incidence rate in the country this week after Castilla-La Mancha. This is stated in the material of reuters.com.

Valencia health officials have advised people with symptoms, their family and friends, as well as healthcare professionals on measures to reduce the risk of spreading the disease. This includes wearing masks in healthcare facilities and other places where people with vulnerable health gather.

Neighboring Catalonia has also mandated the use of masks in medical centers. Aragon in the north issued the same instruction, adding that it "strongly recommends" that workers and citizens in general use masks in public places, especially in confined spaces.

Murcia on the southeastern coast has also introduced a requirement to wear masks, and northwestern Galicia has recommended the use of masks.

Spain was one of the last European countries to lift the requirement to wear face masks after the COVID-19 pandemic. People wore them on public transportation until February last year, and in medical centers and pharmacies until July.

According to the latest epidemiological report from the Institute of Public Health of Spain's Carlos III University, influenza, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are circulating widely in communities, with influenza being the most common and infants and the elderly most likely to be hospitalized.

In the last week of December, 953 cases per 100,000 inhabitants were treated at primary care centers across the country for acute respiratory illnesses, up from 922 the week before, while hospitalization rates showed a sharper increase than last year.

The Association of General Practitioners of Spain has called for making masks mandatory in health centers across the country. The Minister of Health has convened a meeting of regional health authorities and, according to local media reports, will propose to introduce mandatory rules across the country next week.