Spain to make masks mandatory as 83 more deaths counted

By Alyssa McMurtry

OVIEDO, Spain (AA) - Spain registered less than 100 daily COVID-19 deaths for the third day in a row on Tuesday as the country’s government announced that masks will soon become mandatory in public spaces.

On Tuesday, the country reported 83 more fatalities and 295 infections. Both daily figures are up just slightly from Monday.

In total, Spain has confirmed over 232,000 COVID-19 cases and 27,778 fatalities, as well as 124,159 related hospitalizations. The Health Ministry is no longer issuing data on the number of recovered patients.

The spread of the infectious disease has been significantly reduced in the country since the peak of 9,000 new infections per day and 950 deaths less than two months ago.

Now, around 70% of Spain has already begun to ease strict lockdown measures.

And as mobility begins to increase and more people venture out, Health Minister Salvador Illa announced on Tuesday that masks will be made mandatory in public spaces from Wednesday.

The exact details will be outlined in the official decree on Wednesday morning, but Illa said that masks will be legally required in “closed spaces and public outdoor spaces when it is not possible to guarantee a minimum distance of two meters.”

Illa said the government will not be distributing masks, but that the maximum price on surgical masks has already been set by the state at €0.96 ($1.05).