In the United States, a ruling by federal judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ended the mandatory use of the mask on public transport. While the Spanish Government approved eliminating its use in a large part of closed spaces. Thus, both nations join the growing list of countries that relax restrictions on one of the first health measures to contain Covid-19.
Americans and Spaniards will see fewer and fewer masks in their daily lives. The two countries announced this week the relaxation of the sanitary measures that contemplated its use in closed places.
While the Justice of the North American nation ended its mandatory carrying on public transport, the European country chose to make it optional in closed spaces.
The two decisions are part of a wave of announcements from various Western countries that have made the use of masks more flexible in closed places.
Spain joins the list that includes France, Germany, Belgium, the United Kingdom or the Netherlands, in which it is no longer necessary to use the mask in closed places.
United States: a decision at the expense of the wishes of the White House
The desire of US health authorities to extend until May 3 the mandate requiring travelers to wear masks on public transport met with an obstacle. Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle, nominated in the Donald Trump government for the district court of Tampa, in the state of Florida, declared the measure “illegal”, leaving it without effect.
The judge justified her decision by asserting that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had exceeded their authority with the mandate, had not solicited comments from the public and had not adequately explained their decisions.
The ruling was celebrated by much of the Republicans and sectors of the US industry, but was also called “disappointing” by the Biden government.
The White House spokeswoman, Jen Psaki, ruled that these types of decisions “should not be made by courts, but by public health experts” and recommended that Americans continue to wear the mask on public transport, “complying with the guidelines from the CDC.”
The measure has caused controversy due to the contradictory guidelines in which it is deriving. But also because it comes at a time when Covid-19 infections are on the rise again in the US, with an average of 36,251 new daily infections and 460 daily deaths, and when the country has the number of total deaths from the highest disease in the world.
Contradictions and specifications: a wave of announcements in the tourism sector
The first to speak out were the airlines. Companies such as American Airlines, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines DAL.N, and Amtrak relaxed restrictions effective immediately.
“We are relieved to see the mask mandate lifted in the United States to make it easier to travel globally,” Delta said.
For many, it is a double-edged sword for the tourism sector that continued to recover from the restrictions caused by Covid-19, and that in February had an average of 89% of pre-pandemic levels.
Although many point out that it will motivate those who oppose mandatory mask mandates, the measure could also create mistrust in a certain part of society.
Just 36% of Americans think people should stop wearing masks, a Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted in January and February shows.
In addition, the determination has led to measures that are not entirely clear. Since it is the companies themselves that have given their specific guidelines.
The AP news agency illustrates the situation with an example. Passengers on a United Airlines flight from Houston to New York could remove their masks on the plane, but would have to put them back on when getting off the flight in the Big Apple.
At airports, the picture is no different. Several have taken the announcement with a grain of salt, such as those in New York and San Francisco, while some others have dropped the requirements, such as those in Houston and Los Angeles.
Trains, buses and transport: how does the announcement affect you?
As with airplanes, the new guidelines differ depending on the location for other types of public transportation. In New York, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority kept the mask mandatory in the subway, on buses and on commuter rail lines.
In Philadelphia, the story is different: masks will no longer be required in the subway, on buses or on trains.
Washington, for its part, made carrying optional for both its customers and employees.
As for shared transport, several companies such as Lyft and Uber announce that masks will no longer be mandatory.
“Now you can travel without a mask and use the front seat if you need to. While the use of masks is still recommended, we have updated our Covid safety policies, ”Uber assured on his Twitter account.
You can now ride without a mask and use the front seat if you need to. While mask usage is still recommended, we’ve updated our Covid Safety policies. Let’s move forward, safely together.
For US riders only. pic.twitter.com/LgHYSsC4Bg
—Uber (@Uber) April 19, 2022
The Spanish case: Goodbye to masks in closed spaces
Spain had already eliminated masks in open spaces in February. Now, two years after its entry into force, the Spanish Government has gone a step further: it has made them optional for closed spaces, such as shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bars, gyms, theaters and cinemas. Classrooms and workplaces will also be exempt from the measure.
The President of the Government of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, celebrated the measure through his Twitter account.
From tomorrow, the mask will no longer be mandatory indoors, with some exceptions. We are making progress in returning to normality prior to the pandemic. The success of the vaccination campaign allows us now to start a new stage in the fight against #COVID19. https://t.co/F94U4tvHpd
– Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) April 19, 2022
The health measure, however, will continue to apply in hospitals, nursing homes and public transport. At the same time, the authorities recommend that people with comorbidities continue to use it.
The determination, according to the Government, is due to the improvement in the health situation and when 92% of those over 12 years of age in the country are vaccinated.
And the panorama of the mask in Latin America?
Although the WHO warned earlier this year that Covid-19 could not be compared to an endemic disease such as the flu, the health situation has improved in many countries thanks to vaccination campaigns and a greater understanding of the disease.
This has led many nations to choose to end some of the health measures that have been in place since the beginning of the pandemic, such as the wearing of masks.
Latin America is not unrelated to this phenomenon. Brazil ended the state of “emergency” and thereby ended restrictions on indoor masks.
Paraguay also did its thing, due to the decrease in cases and deaths, it decided to eliminate its obligation in closed spaces.
Countries such as Chile, Argentina and Colombia have also terminated their use in open places.
With Reuters, EFE and AP
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