A mask mandate has been imposed on hospitals and health care facilities in Spain by the Spanish Ministry of Health. Health care facilities in Spain were ordered to mandate masks across the country. Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said that the rule is to protect the most vulnerable people and is just common sense. Despite the opposition of most of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, the new leftist minority coalition government is implementing the measure. The health ministry ordered the wearing of masks in hospitals, health care centers, and private clinics, pharmacies, and other medical facilities such as dentist offices. However, the regions have the ability to lift the requirement if infections fall for two weeks.
Spain has had an unusual protracted history with public health measures throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, being among the last European countries to drop requirements to wear face masks. The Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine reported an increase of 35 percent in residents seeking emergency care for influenza, Covid-19, and other respiratory illnesses. The move to mandate masks was, however, met with resistance from some public officials. Spanish regions voted against reintroducing the mask mandate and the mandate will not apply to pharmacies.
In the United States, county health departments and hospital systems have re-implemented mask mandates due to the recent increase in Covid-19 and influenza cases. Several other states including New York City, Philadelphia, Illinois, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Delaware, and Washington have imposed mask mandates for health care facilities in hospitals. The CDC reported a smaller number of cases last year than the year before, despite the rise in Covid-19 cases. More than half of all cases in the United States come from the latest Covid-19 variant called JN.1. There is no evidence so far that suggests that JN.1 presents different symptoms than other variants.