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CANARY ISLANDS

Spain’s Canary Islands approve voluntary use of Covid health pass

The Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands has approved the use of a voluntary Covid pass to enter bars and restaurants.

Bars in Canary Islands can now introduce covid pass
Canary Islands introduces voluntary covid pass. Photo: Ezequiel BECERRA / AFP

The new measure will come into force from December 10th to January 10th, after which the government of the Canary Islands must request permission again to extend it.

Crucially, this new measure is voluntary, meaning that it’s up to individual businesses whether they want to implement the need to show a Covid-19 certificate upon entering the premises or not.

READ ALSO: How to get Spain’s Covid health pass for daily affairs in your region

If establishments do decide to introduce the need to request a certificate however, then you will be required to show one and it will not be up to individuals to decide if they want to show one or not.

The establishments that do request the Covid pass from their clients will have greater benefits in terms of capacity and opening hours, since they will be able to operate without restrictions.

Customers must show a negative Covid test, taken no longer than 48 hours earlier (self-diagnostic tests are not allowed) or an official certificate showing they have received the complete vaccination schedule.

READ ALSO – MAP: Which regions in Spain now require a Covid health pass for daily affairs?

According to the judges, the measures approved by the Canarian Executive “are proportionate and reasonable”.

The new measure will be applied uniformly throughout the Canary Islands, but judges stated that “a individualised and detailed assessment for each one of the islands will be carried out, adjusting to the circumstances in each geographical area”.

It will create “healthier environments that are safer and less likely to transmit the virus,” they added.

The courts also highlighted that “the weekly cumulative incidence rate of Covid-19 is between two and four times lower among the vaccinated population” and at the same time “the impact of vaccination is not only observed in the incidence of infection, also in its severity”. 

President of the Canary Islands Ángel Víctor Torres described this resolution as “good news” on his Twitter account. “It is a measure with which sectors such as leisure and restaurants agree”, he said. “Christmas is coming: let’s be prudent and deliver.”

The Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands previously rejected a request to introduce Covid certificates last summer and in May 2021 also rejected the reintroduction of the curfew.

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COVID-19 RULES

Covid-19: Spain to scrap face mask rule for hospitals and pharmacies

The Spanish Health Ministry has announced that masks will no longer be required in certain healthcare settings, including hospitals and pharmacies, with a couple of exceptions.

Covid-19: Spain to scrap face mask rule for hospitals and pharmacies

The Ministry of Health, along with representatives of each autonomous community in Spain, decided at the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System (CISNS) on Friday June 23rd that it would no longer be mandatory to wear masks in hospitals, pharmacies and other clinical settings.

Spain dropped the mask rule on public transport in February 2023, but since the very early days of the pandemic in 2020, they have been required in health centres, hospitals and clinics.

Where will masks no longer be mandatory?

You will no longer need to wear a mask when you visit these places:

  • Pharmacies
  • Physiotherapy clinics
  • Dental clinics
  • Health centres
  • Nursing/Care homes
  • Hospitals

Are there any places where masks are still required?

Yes. Spanish Health Minister José Miñones has confirmed that the use of masks will still be required in areas with vulnerable patients and some places where they were mandatory before the pandemic too. These include:  

  • Operating rooms
  • Intensive care units
  • Areas where there are immunocompromised patients
  • Cancer wards
  • Emergency rooms

When will it enter into force?

This measure was expected to be approved by the Spanish Cabinet on Tuesday, June 27th and enter into force the next day on Wednesday, after its publication in the Official State Bulletin (BOE). But on Monday Spain’s Health Minister said the date would have to be pushed back as the matter wouldn’t be addressed in the Spanish cabinet on Tuesday, adding that mask removal in hospitals and health centres will happen “as soon as possible”.

Masks first became mandatory in all indoor and outdoor spaces in Spain in May 2020 as the country emerged from a two-month national lockdown in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The outdoor mask rule was scrapped in February 2022 and in April 2022 it was the turn of the indoor mask rule, with the only exceptions being health centres, care homes and pharmacies.

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