The Interterritorial Council of the National Health System held this Friday has finally decided “by consensus” that the obligation to wear the mask in health centers, pharmacies and residences becomes a recommendation. According to Efe, the mask will only be kept in hospital areas with critical and vulnerable (for example in operating rooms, ICUs or when dealing with immunosuppressed patients), so its widespread use is ending, but it is recommended especially when there are symptoms of respiratory infection.
The relaxation of this measure coincides in between the two electoral events of the year: the regional elections on May 28, which means that In practice, almost all the Health Ministers summoned are in officeand the general elections next July 23which causes some to criticize that the measure has been raised thinking more about the polls than about the health situation.
The Minister of Health, José Manuel Miñones, commented days ago that the debate had to be approached rigorously and seriously and that they were going to be guided by the experts to decide on the withdrawal process; that is, if it is done “prolongedly, definitively or in stages”. It must be taken into account that in previous meetings of the Public Health Commission, the last one held this Thursday as indicated by the acting Minister of Health of Madrid, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, no decision had yet been made on the matter.The measure will also have to be approved by the Council of Ministers.who is the one who has the last word on the matter.
There have already been some autonomies that hours before had declared themselves in favor in principle, such as Castilla-La Mancha and Castilla y León, waiting to agree on the details. The counselor of GaliciaJulio García Comesaña, has indicated that they would be in favor of a proposal to eliminate the mandatory use of masks in health centers and pharmacies and only keep them “in settings of immunocompromised patients”.
Almost all of the Health Councilors who have attended the Interterritorial meeting this Friday are in office awaiting the formation of the new regional governmentss. Hence the criticism from, for example, the Madrid councillor, Enrique Ruiz Escudero, who has described it as “genuine recklessness” to call up to twelve acting councilors awaiting their replacement, something that he considers “totally out of place” and whose only objective is “electoralista”. In his case, You already know the name of the person who will replace you, Fátima Matute, from next Monday.