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Covid-19 spread rapidly in Europe, Spain re-imposed mask wearing regulations

Posted on 12 Month 01 2024

Influenza and Covid-19 epidemics are spreading rapidly in Europe, with Spain being one of the most severely affected countries.

According to Forbes and Reuters, last week, several regions in Spain, including Catalonia, Valencia and Murcia, required patients, visitors and hospital staff to wear masks.

The Spanish government on January 8 also proposed a regulation requiring people nationwide to wear masks in hospitals and medical clinics. However, regional leaders in charge of health policy have so far rejected the proposal and are expected to make a decision tomorrow (January 10).

Spanish Health Minister Monica Garcia said on TVE: "We know that masks will help limit the spread of disease and protect vulnerable people." The official added that the government also proposed allowing people to self-diagnose in mild cases and take three days off work instead of needing a doctor's note.

Spain was one of the last European countries to drop mask requirements after the Covid-19 pandemic. People in this country are required to wear masks on public transportation until February 2023 and at medical facilities and pharmacies until July.

Flu and Covid-19 epidemics are spreading rapidly in Europe. In Italy, the number of people infected with flu-like illnesses and Covid-19 rose to a record high in the last two weeks of 2023, data published by the country's National Institute of Health (ISS) showed. The incidence rate in the last week of last year was 17.5 cases/1,000 people and in the week before that it was 17.7 cases/1,000 people.

ISS experts said the increase could be due to most people no longer wearing masks and fewer people getting vaccinated. However, until now, there has been no sign that the Italian government is considering re-imposing mask wearing regulations.

In Portugal, Health Minister Manuel Pizarro said on January 8 that the country is experiencing a flu epidemic, causing waiting times in hospital emergency areas to increase to more than 10 hours in recent weeks. In intensive care units, the number of flu infections reached a record level, 17% in the last week of 2023.

Other countries around the world also reintroduced the wearing of masks. Hospitals in at least four US states have reinstated mask requirements as the number of cases of Covid-19, seasonal flu and respiratory diseases increases.

* SOURCE: https://vietnamnet.vn/covid-19-lan-nhanh-o-chau-au-tay-ban-nha-tai-ap-dat-quy-dinh-deo-khau-trang-2237363.html

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