COVID-19: the mask is once again mandatory outdoors from this Christmas

The head of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has announced at the Conference of Presidents that the use of masks outdoors will be mandatory as of December 24 due to the increase in infections in the sixth wave of the coronavirus. The Executive has reported, indicates the EFE agency, that this has been the first of a series of decisions that has been transmitted to the regional presidents.

The request that masks become mandatory outdoors again had been raised by several communities, and Sánchez has announced it along with another series of measures.

Among them, the reinforcement of close contact tracing devices and vaccination with equipment from the Armed Forces as well as making hospitals of the Military Health Network available. The intensification and acceleration of the vaccination process is also foreseen.

Sánchez has set the following objectives:

– 80% of the population between 60-69 years vaccinated with a third dose before the end of the year.

– 80% of those between 50-59 years old in the week of January 24.

– 80% between 40-49 years old in the first week of March.

– 70% of children 5 to 11 years with the first pediatric dose in the week of February 7.

– 70% of children with the second pediatric dose in the week of April 19.

On the other hand, he proposed to reinforce vaccination devices with equipment from the Armed Forces, as well as to make hospitals of the Military Health Network available. Another initiative is to hire retired health personnel and allow the hiring of professionals with a specialist degree obtained in the States of the European Union.

He has also recalled that people who have had direct contact with an infected person should not quarantine if they are vaccinated with a full schedule, and that, as of February 1, the Covid Certificate will have an expiration of nine months from the date of the administration of the last dose.

Another of the points on which Sánchez’s initial intervention has dealt has been to propose periodic meetings of the Conference of Presidents for the duration of this sixth wave.