After almost three years, the use of masks in the Barcelona metro will no longer be mandatory. This was determined by the central government, which means that it will no longer be required to be used in public transportation.
However, mouth covers will continue to be mandatory in healthcare facilities such as hospitals, pharmacies and health centers, for visitors, patients and workers.
The measure will be declared official when it is published today in the Official State Gazette (BOE).
Thus, it will now be possible to travel by train, cab, streetcar or subway without having to wear a mask.
The measure could be taken thanks to the fact that the epidemiological situation of the coronavirus is already under control, although this does not imply that citizens should stop being responsible for their own care and that of others.
In fact, it was one of the most eagerly awaited pieces of news, which aims to almost completely restore normalcy to pre-pandemic levels.
Care that should not be neglected
The objective is that it cannot be an element that is left in oblivion. The mask should be worn responsibly when the person has symptoms or if he/she is part of a risk or vulnerability group.
Also out of responsibility to others, if an individual suffers from an infectious disease that may affect others.
To date, the epidemiological situation is classified as “very stable”, making it the right time to lift the measure.
It is no longer mandatory to wear a mask in the subway.
Nor in other modes of public transport thanks to a very stable epidemiological situation.
However, the Health Department stated that the suspension of the use of masks was brought forward, as it was initially planned to maintain them until the end of the acute infection season around the month of March.
However, after weeks of technical discussions, the decision was taken after verifying that the epidemiological situation in Spain has remained stable.
Even during the Christmas and New Year’s Eve season, when people came together again, it has not been possible to control hospital admissions due to the virus.
Another important factor to take into account is that day by day the coexistence with the coronavirus on the part of the citizenship is something more and more natural and common.
As a result, compliance with the rule on the use of face masks on public transport was already becoming very lax and more of a personal decision of each passenger.
Thus, it is expected that between today and tomorrow, it will no longer be mandatory to use the mask to travel in subways, buses, airplanes, cabs, trains, etc. throughout the country.
