Spain’s government has announced that face masks will no longer be mandatory on public transportation, effectively ending one of the country’s last measures in place to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Health Minister Carolina Darias stated that the rule mandating the use of masks on trains, buses, and ferries will end on Wednesday, however it will still be mandatory in hospitals, health centers, and care homes.

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Health Minister Carolina Darias announced during a news conference following a weekly cabinet meeting that the mask mandate can be lifted due to the current stability of Spain’s Covid-19 epidemiological situation.

In April 2022, Spain ended its nearly two-year rule of mandatory mask use indoors, but maintained the requirement for masks to be worn on public transport, in hospitals, health centers, and care homes.

It is pertinent to mention here that early in the Covid-19 pandemic in Spain, masks were made mandatory both indoors and outdoors.

In mid-2021, the outdoor mask mandate was lifted, but it was reinstated from December to February due to a significant increase in infections caused by the highly contagious Omicron variant.

Spain, which was one of the countries hardest hit by the pandemic, has gained control over Covid-19 through vaccinating over 90% of its population.