Masks will be mandatory indoors, at least, until spring 2022

Politics

Darias affirms that the mask “is absolutely necessary” indoors and warns that in autumn and winter respiratory viruses increase.

October 8, 2021 13:04

Using the mask indoors will keep a few more months, at least until Spring 2022 . This is the government’s forecast despite the fact that Spain has managed to drop below 50 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and be located in the area of ​​low risk of transmission of Covid-19.

The Minister of Health, Carolina Darias , believes that despite this good data it is not the time to eliminate the use of masks in spaces closed arguing that “autumn and cold are coming” and with it respiratory viruses.

Also, there are still four million Spaniards over 12 years of age who have not been vaccinated against the coronavirus and the minors of 12 do not yet have a vaccine authorized by the EMA , something that Darias believes will arrive before the end of this year.

Thus, the Government does not have a specific date to eliminate the mask indoors and in outside when there are crowds and the spring of 2022 is set as the horizon. “You have to go little by little”, stated Darias in interviews with SER and Radio Televisión Canaria. “We have legislation that allows us to free ourselves in open spaces, with a distance of 1.5 meters and we will continue with her “, has argued.

Darias insisted that the use of the mask “will continue to be absolutely necessary” not only indoors, but also when the safety distance cannot be maintained despite the fact that Spain is in a green zone , with 48.92 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, for the first time since July 2020.

Third dose

Regarding the inoculation of a third dose of the Covid-19 vaccine , Darias has indicated that it is in a “continuous review process” and, therefore, the new additional doses have been put first at most vulnerable people -people with transplants or drugs 020, which meant that the level of immunity was very low-, later to older people living in residences and it has continued with people with pathologies and over 70 years because “over time that immunity seems descending “.

On the possibility of putting that third dose to other groups, indicated that “We must go step by step, is a possibility “, although” there are things that must be discerned, such as, for example, how long is the durability of the protection of the vaccine against infection, hospitalization and death ” . He added that you have to look at the scientific evidence, clinical trials and studies.

4 million unvaccinated

Carolina Darias also referred to the anti-vaccines , pointing out that in Spain there is a “great awareness” of vaccination because it is known that “vaccines save lives”, underlining that Covid vaccines “have come to stay” and “have saved thousands of lives in Spain”. To date, there are at least four million people who have refused to get vaccinated.

At this point, the Minister of Health has admitted that current vaccination levels “are not sufficient because the pandemic knows no border “, hence he stressed the importance of” contributing to vaccinate, in solidarity, the rest of the world. ” He added that 9 out of 10 vaccines that reach the planet come from Spain.

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