Masks off: Spain relaxes face covering rules for indoors

By CIARÁN GILES
Associated Press

MADRID (AP) — Spain is taking another step toward a sense of normality amid the pandemic by partially ending the near two-year-long obligatory use of masks indoors. A government decree taking effect Wednesday keeps masks still mandatory in medical centers and in all forms of public transport. It remains unclear what impact the decree will have on workplaces as the government says employers may keep the masks obligatory if there is a health risk. The government called for people to use masks when they are deemed necessary. Masks became obligatory shortly after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain early 2020. Their obligatory use outdoors was lifted in February.