Fernando Simón, director of the Centre for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies, stated last week that if the vaccination plan continues at its current pace, it is possible that in just over a month we could say goodbye to face masks in outdoor areas.

GOODBYE TO FACE MASKS THIS SUMMER?

According to data from the Spanish Ministry of Health, by mid-May there were 7.2 million people who had received the full vaccination schedule and were therefore already immunised, while more than 15 million people had received at least one dose, representing 32% of the population.

Although a larger proportion of the population will be vaccinated by summer, wearing a face mask will continue to be important to prevent and reduce the risk of infections among people who have not yet been vaccinated.

For the time being, we will still need to continue wearing face masks, and the use of FFP2 masks has become increasingly widespread, as they provide greater protection by helping to filter and reduce exposure to the virus.

WILL WE BE ABLE TO REMOVE FACE MASKS INDOORS?

For the moment, this is highly unlikely. Everything suggests that face masks will continue to be required indoors for several months, as these are areas where the risk of both contracting and transmitting the virus is much higher than outdoors. This is due to factors such as ventilation conditions, limited space in certain establishments, and the difficulty of maintaining a safe physical distance.

The Spanish Society of Preventive Medicine, Public Health and Hygiene (SEMPSPH) believes that a more optimistic scenario could be possible, but everything will depend on vaccination progress and the accumulated incidence recorded in the coming months. They also remind the public that wearing face masks is still necessary.

However, if the epidemiological situation worsens, it is very likely that these measures allowing people to go without face masks on streets, in parks, on beaches, or other outdoor areas will not be implemented.

These are only forecasts, so for the time being it appears that we will not yet be able to say goodbye to face masks.

COUNTRIES THAT HAVE SAID GOODBYE TO FACE MASKS

The vaccination campaign in Israel has received significant international attention. After reaching around 50% vaccination coverage, with half of the population immunised, the Israeli government decided to remove the mandatory use of face masks outdoors.

However, masks are still fully required in indoor spaces and in outdoor areas where safety distances cannot be guaranteed.