A strict law introduced in Spain is reported to require people to wear face coverings at all times outdoors.
The Telegraph said the law replaces the current rules, which have been in force since June 2020, that only require face coverings to be worn when social distancing is restricted.
However, Spanish newspaper El Pais said: “The government admitted that the guidelines, which build on a decree passed in June of last year, may have been overtaken by today’s reality and improved knowledge about the coronavirus.”
Update: Catalan health official plays down impact of Spanish face mask rules
It said the law requires people, from the age of six and older, to wear masks on public streets, in outdoor spaces and in any closed space that has a public use or is open to the public.
Furthermore, regional governments may no longer introduce changes to the rules, said El Pais.
“Instead, everyone is bound by the same regulations, which make masks mandatory at all times, including at the beach or the local swimming pool, and even when there is a safe distance between people,” said the report.
“The move could further harm the tourism industry, which has been dragged down by a year of coronavirus pandemic.”
Catalan deputy director of public health Xavier Llebaria said the rules would make sense when entering or walking on a beach, but would be applied “with common sense” and would “obviously” not be required when swimming or sunbathing, Catalan News reported.
The Telegraph said the enforcing of mask-wearing on beaches comes just weeks after Professor Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, told the UK government’s science and technology committee that despite fears that people flocking to the seaside would be “super-spreader” events, in fact “there were no outbreaks linked to crowded beaches”.
Update: Catalan health official plays down impact of Spanish face mask rules