Face Mask on Public Transport Remains

Face Mask Requirements on Public Transport Will Remain Mandatory Until March 2023

The Spanish authorities have decided to keep the mandatory mask requirement on public transport until March 2023. This means that until this measure gets dropped, all persons, including foreigners visiting Spain, will have to wear a face mask when accessing buses, trains, metros, taxis, and planes, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The decision to continue keeping the mask requirement in place was taken after the authorities evaluated the current situation and concluded that it is not the right time to lift such a requirement, especially now that colder months are approaching. In addition to the above-mentioned, the Emergency Unit of Spain said that Spain is taking the same approach as Germany, suggesting that the country might also introduce the face mask requirement for indoor public places.

Before the decision to extend the mandatory face mask requirement was announced, the Health Emergencies chief of Spain said that it is better to see how the Coronavirus disease evolves before deciding to ease this requirement. Since the authorities have decided not to revise this measure until March 2022, it means they expect the number of infection cases to start increasing.

Data provided by the World Health Organization show that Spain has recorded 25,422 new COVID infection cases in the last seven days.

As for the vaccination rates, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control reveals that as of October 27, Spain has administered a total of 103,064,170 vaccine doses. The same further shows that a total of 86.0 per cent of the entire adult population has completed primary vaccination until now, and another 66.3 per cent have received the first booster shot.

While Spain has decided to continue to keep the mandatory face mask requirement in place, the country has also eased the entry rules for incoming travellers.

Recently, Spain dropped all of its COVID entry rules for travellers from non-European Union/Schengen Area countries. The news was announced by the Spanish Ministry of Health, which said that health control measures for arrivals from non-EU countries would no longer be effective.

In line with the newly made changes, travellers from third countries are no longer required to present a valid vaccination, recovery, or test certificate upon their arrival in Spain. In addition, they also do not need to complete the health control form, as this requirement was dropped earlier in September.

While Spain just recently dropped Coronavirus entry rules for third-country travellers, those from the EU/Schengen Area have been able to enter Spain restriction-free for months now.