The Spanish, Greek and Italian governments on Thursday reintroduced mandatory mask wearing outdoors, amid each country’s new measures to tackle COVID-19 and the surging Omicron variant.
The new Spanish decree-law will reintroduce obligatory mask wearing outdoors for everyone over 6 years old starting Friday, except for sporting activities, or when a person is alone or with household members in the mountains or at the beach.
A special Cabinet meeting was urgently called on Thursday — as Spanish authorities are reporting two consecutive records in daily COVID-19 cases — to pass the decree-law meant to bypass parliament and approved by almost all leaders of regional governments on Wednesday.
Madrid Community President Isabel Díaz Ayuso was the only regional leader to reject the decree-law on Wednesday, slamming the obligation to wear a mask outdoors Thursday, describing it as an “afterthought” because “it doesn’t add up too much.”
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez defended the idea on Wednesday “as an effective tool” in the face of the “highly contagious” Omicron variant. His government will also deploy the army to ramp up its booster-shots campaign.
Greece also brought back mandatory mask wearing indoors and outdoors. As of Friday, double-masking or wearing a high-protection mask will be required to travel on public transport or visit a supermarket, Greek authorities said. All public Christmas and New Year’s Eve festivities will be canceled.
All travelers — regardless of their vaccination status — are strongly recommended to take a repeat test (rapid or PCR) on the second and fourth day after their arrival in the country. They are already required to have a negative PCR or rapid test to get into the country.
“Omicron is in our country,” Greek Health Minister Thanos Plevris said during a briefing. Government spokesman Giannis Oikonomou indicated that a new set of measures is in the pipeline for January 3. They will affect entertainment, sporting events and nonessential activities, but won’t go as far as restrictive measures introduced during the first wave, such as lockdowns.
In Italy, the cabinet’s move Thursday to tighten further restrictions for the festive period came after a sequencing drive revealed that the Omicron variant was present in almost 30 per cent of cases, higher than expected.
Masks will be obligatory outdoors and FFP2 protective masks will be required in crowded places such as cinemas, theaters and on public transport.
The validity of Italy’s vaccine passport, required for all members of the workforce, is being reduced from nine to six months. And the third dose of Italy’s coronavirus vaccine will be administered from four months instead of five.
Further restrictions, only for the holiday period, include the closure of nightclubs, a ban on outdoor gatherings and a ban on the unvaccinated in indoor restaurants, bars, gyms, pools, museums and other leisure venues unless citizens can prove the presence of COVID-19 antibodies.
Hannah Roberts contributed reporting. This story has been updated to include Italian restrictions.
