The mask, considered one of the basic elements of protection against coronavirus, is in decline in several European countries, in terms of open spaces, thanks to the evolution of the pandemic.
WHO has already found that Europe is in a good position to control COVID-19 due to the high vaccination rate of its population and the widespread level of infections, which leads several countries to ease limitations.
The most radical in that regard is Denmark, which on the 1st eliminated all the restrictions imposed by the fourth wave of coronavirus, considering its authorities that the omicron variant does not imply a “danger” for its health or its inhabitants and despite the high levels of incidence registered by the country.
Since last Tuesday it is no longer mandatory for Danes to wear masks indoors, restrictions on restoration, cultural and social life have disappeared and nightclubs reopen.
ITALY
Last Monday’s Council of Ministers approved that from February 11 you can be without a mask outdoors again, thus repealing the rule introduced before the Christmas holidays, and in the face of the improvement in the incidence of coronavirus infections in recent weeks.
The obligation to wear a mask inside closed places such as restaurants, cinemas, gym theaters, and public transport will be maintained, where it will also be mandatory to use Ffp2 type ones, which guarantee greater protection.
FRANCE
Wearing a mask on the street is no longer mandatory in France since last Wednesday, the day that some of the restrictions that had been imposed in December to deal with the fifth wave starring omicron were lifted. However, you must continue wearing a mask outside when you can’t keep a meter away from other people and systematically in indoor public spaces, except in places where food or drink is consumed such as bars and restaurants.
UNITED KINGDOM
Last week, the Government withdrew most restrictions to minimize contagion in England, where more than 83% of the 67 million people in the United Kingdom reside. Masks have become optional both indoors and outdoors and a vaccination test or negative test has ceased to be required at the entrance of mass events.
SPAIN
Spaniards will be able to go outdoors again without a mask next week, thanks to a measure announced this Friday that fueled hopes for the end of the pandemic, at a time when several regions are lifting restrictions due to the improvement of health indicators.
The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, announced that the government of Pedro Sánchez would adopt a decree on Tuesday to eliminate the obligation to wear a mask outdoors. The measure is expected to enter into force 48 hours later.
“When there are people, I’m probably going to wear it. And if I’m in a clear place, no,” says Alfredo Poves, a 71-year-old from Madrid, who “crosses his fingers” so that this is a sign that the pandemic is languishing. Spain is one of the few European countries that reinstated the mask in open spaces at the end of December to fight the omicron.
