Masks inside no longer mandatory in Spain from today

Yes, it’s true – after more than 2 years, the Spanish Government has rescinded the mandatory wearing of face masks inside shops, public buildings, schools etc. However, there are exceptions and employers are allowed to implement their own rules.

So, what will this look like in practice?

Masks are still obligatory for workers and visitors:

• Health centres, hospitals, pharmacies, transfusion centres (patients admitted to hospital will not have to wear masks when in their rooms)
• Social care centres/elderly care facilities – mandatory for workers and visitors in shared areas, but not for residents
• All public transport – planes, trains, buses, cable cars, trams, also boats/ships where 1.5 metre social distance can’t be maintained. However, you don’t have to wear a mask on train station platforms any more.

Masks no longer mandatory:

• In the workplace, but companies/owners can implement their own rules on mask wearing based on a risk assessment, so there’s likely to be a lot of variation in requirements
• Schools – again, mandatory use of masks is abolished for all schools, but each school can make their own rules, so some may still require them
• Mass events – the Ministry of Health has asked for “public responsibility” for mass events, taking into account the “vulnerability” of guests and attendees.

So the general advice would be that although wearing a mask inside is no longer a legal obligation, they haven’t disappeared altogether. 

Link to official Boletin de Estado, published today:
https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2022/04/20/pdfs/BOE-A-2022-6449.pdf