Parliament vote keeps masks as optional outdoors in public in Spain

The use of masks will continue to be optional in public spaces outdoors in Spain as long as the distance of 1.5 metres with non-cohabitating people can be guaranteed. The Plenary of Congress will validate Royal Decree-Law 13/2021 this morning, which on June 26th ended the mandatory use, after getting a majority vote in Parliament.

The Government will carry out this decree after the Republican Parliamentary Group and the PNV announced their abstention in the vote, which guarantees the Executive more in favour than against the validation of this initiative.

This decree was initially applauded by practically all regions and political parties in Spain, but in recent weeks it has been questioned after the exponential increase in incidence rates with the emergence of the Delta variant and the arrival of the fifth wave with very high rates of infections, leading to rates greater than 1,500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, among the younger age groups.

However, although there is a majority, some of those against say they have strong reasons to be. The Partido Popular, after an arduous internal debate, chose to demand the return of the masks, as did the PNV in line with the request that the Basque Country sent to Pedro Sánchez requesting the return of the mask and curfews via a state of alarm.