Madrid (AFP)

No more risk of tan marks because of the mask: Spain will no longer force it to be worn at the beach if the distance is respected, while a law imposing it had caused an uproar, a few months before the season touristic.

A text that came into force last week made wearing a mask mandatory at all times, even sitting on your towel at the beach.

A decision that annoyed, especially in coastal regions while the country, very dependent on tourism, is preparing for the summer season and actively campaigning for the establishment of a vaccination passport.

The authorities finally backpedaled.

From now on, people are allowed to remove the mask at the beach "if they stay in a specific place and they respect the minimum distance of 1.5 meters from people who do not live under the same roof as them" , indicates a statement from the Ministry of Health published Wednesday evening.

On the other hand, you will have to wear it if you walk on the beach, specifies the text.

Mandatory since May 2020 even in the street, under penalty of a fine, the wearing of the mask was imposed very early in Spain after the first wave of the pandemic.

© 2021 AFP