Madrid wants masks worn in hospitals as viruses surge

MADRID: The Spanish government on Friday called for the wearing of masks to be obligatory in medical facilities as cases of flu and Covid-19 surge with the onset of winter.

With the increase in respiratory infections, “we are calling” for the return of obligatory mask-wearing in hospitals and health centres, Health Minister Monica Garcia said on X. The minister said she would bring up the subject on Monday at a meeting with regional representatives overseeing health issues.

The meeting would enable “coordinated public health action to be taken in the face of the epidemic spikes”. The eastern region of Valencia and Catalonia, in the northeast, announced Friday that health professionals and patients would have to wear masks in medical facilities there.

The move came after doctors raised the alarm over mounting cases of flu as well as Covid and other respiratory ailments, particularly in the east of the country.