Facemask use to be obligatory in Spain from Thursday

The use of facemasks will be obligatory in Spain from Thursday, the Spanish government has confirmed.

The order obliging people to wear facemasks in closed and open spaces, including in the street, where it is impossible to maintain a distance of at least two meters, was published in the Spanish State Bulletin (BOE) on Wednesday.

Children under the age of six are exempt from the rule, so as those who have respiratory problems and those whose health could be harmed by wearing a mask.

The government adds that the use of facemasks will not be obligatory "in some activities, which due to their nature are incompatible with the use of a mask, or in cases of "force majeure."

Salvador Illa, the Spanish minister for Health, Consumer Affairs and Social Services, posted on social media that "the generalized use of facemasks has been shown to be a barrier to the transmission of COVID-19 and very efficient when it is impossible to maintain a safe distance."

Although the Spanish government had previously "strongly recommended" the use of facemasks, they have only been obligatory on public transport since May 4.