Holidaymakers will have to wear masks on Spanish beaches this summer
30 March 2021, 14:41 | Updated: 30 March 2021, 18:20
British holidaymakers will have to wear a mask on the beach if they are permitted to visit Spain this summer.
The Spanish government published papers on Tuesday stating it will be mandatory for all people aged six and over to wear masks “on public streets, in outdoor spaces and in any closed space that has a public use or is open to the public”.
The new rules, which are which expected to be enforced across the country, could therefore apply to people who are sunbathing or even swimming in the sea.
READ MORE: PM says international travel rules remain unchanged as lockdown in England eased
READ MORE: Boris Johnson among world leaders calling for global treaty on future pandemics
It is not clear for how long they will last.
Previously people in Spain were only required to wear facemasks when social distancing was not possible.
A leading scientist told MPs on the Science and Technology Committee last month that there were no Covid-19 outbreaks linked to crowded beaches in the UK last summer.
Nick Ferrari challenges Kwarteng over full reopening on 21 June
Prof Woolhouse, from the University of Edinburgh and who sits on a sub-group advising SAGE, said: "There were no outbreaks linked to crowded beaches. There's never been a Covid-19 outbreak linked to a beach ever in the world to the best of my knowledge."
On Monday, Boris Johnson told a Downing Street press conference travel abroad is "still forbidden" but that the Government would be saying more on this on April 5.
The Prime Minister said: "I think that the most important thing that we've got to do right now as we continue to immunise great numbers of people in this country is to protect our country insofar as we can, it's never going to be perfect, but do as much as we can to prevent the virus coming back in from abroad and new variants coming in from abroad."
"At the moment, as you know, it's still forbidden to travel, we'll be saying a bit more on April 5 about what the global travel taskforce has come up with," he added.
