Extremadura opens the door to eliminate masks indoors

Extremadura, Galicia and Castilla y León are the three autonomous communities that have recently left the door open to join the debate on the end of the mandatory use of masks in certain interior spaces, as Madrid has been demanding for a few weeks through of an approach that was also supported by the Andalusian Government, although this last week from the Andalusian Government they appeal to prudence.

The removal of the masks in some interior spaces was subject to debate last Thursday in the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System, although no agreement was finally reached in this regard.

However, the Minister of Health, Carolina Darias, has recently been underlining the words of the Chief Executive, Pedro Sánchez, that the end of the mandatory use of this measure indoors will come “soon”, although it has not yet been set a precise date.

In this regard, more and more communities have joined the request to open this debate that finally removes the masks in certain interior spaces. This has been the case, for example, in Castilla y León, Galicia and Extremadura.

Specifically, from the Junta de Castilla y León they have defended this Thursday that the debate on the end of masks indoors should be opened, although clarifying that the regional government “will always act based” on what is decided in the Interterritorial Council backed by experts.

Scientific studies

For its part, in the Government of Extremadura, which was very reluctant to this debate when it was raised in its day by the Madrid Executive, which they even accused of being “sensationalist”, now it seems that they have opened up to this possibility.

At this point, the Minister of Health and Services of the Junta de Extremadura, José María Vergeles, has considered that “it will not be a matter of long for the masks to disappear”, although he has advocated that “there be scientific studies that support it” to make that decision.

In the case of Galicia, the Ministry of Health confirmed last week that the recommendation to keep masks in schoolyards in Galicia will soon be withdrawn and will study the “progressive withdrawal” indoors by “areas”.

Prudence

Once the Community of Madrid raised this debate, in which the Executive of Isabel Díaz Ayuso is still insisting, the Government of Juanma Moreno also opened up to following the path of the capital region and supporting this approach.

In fact, Juanma Moreno was in favor of removing the mask indoors in a “gradual and responsible” manner and always following the recommendations of scientific and health experts.

Now, given the slight increase in the accumulated incidence of recent days, the Minister of Health, Jesús Aguirre, yesterday asked for “a little more caution when removing the mask indoors.”

postpone the discussion

In this context of a small rise in infections in recent times, some autonomous communities have asked for “prudence” when raising this debate about withdrawing the mandatory use of the mask indoors.

For example, the Balearic Islands Executive has warned that it is still “soon”, as “most experts” agree, to propose the removal of the mask indoors.

For its part, the Asturian Government has launched a message appealing to prudence to avoid contagion of covid-19. Thus, the Minister of Health of Asturias has said that neither this region nor any other autonomous community has proposed in the last meetings of the Interterritorial Health Council the withdrawal of the obligation to wear masks indoors.