Tourists in Spain are set to get a significant boost from Wednesday when a major rule introduced during the pandemic is scrapped.
From April 20, masks are no longer mandatory indoors, meaning Irish holidaymakers will be able to enjoy greater freedoms when abroad.
Face coverings will only be required on public transport and in a few other limited circumstances from that date.
READ MORE: Good news for Irish holidaymakers travelling to the United States as major rule for flights lifted
Masks will remain compulsory in taxis, planes, health services, care homes and in pharmacies.
Minister of Health Carolina Darias said it was a “very important day”, adding that there was a high level of vaccination across the population.
She said there was also some indication that the disease was now less severe than when it emerged, as the Express reports.
Minister of Territorial Policy, Isabel Rodriguez, said: “It is a very special day for the Government and all Spaniards in the fight against the virus.
“We are moving forward as normal. Tomorrow we will be able to get rid of the masks indoors and show our faces and our smiles.”
Residents and tourists will now be able to make a personal choice whether to wear a mask in restaurants and shops.
The Government said that people should stay responsible and cover their mouths in poorly ventilated areas.
Workplaces are able to choose whether to enforce a mask policy and schoolchildren will no longer need one.
Masks will not be required in shops, supermarkets, restaurants, bars, gyms, theatres, cinemas or concerts.
People over the age of 60, pregnant women and vulnerable people are advised to wear a mask in busy areas.
The indoor mask rule is being ditched exactly 700 days after it was introduced in May 2020.
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