I don’t know who in their right mind would want to visit Spain right now with the Covid situation over there, but it looks as though anyone hitting the beaches over there will need to be masked up all throughout the summer.

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The Spanish government published a new decree this week stating it will be mandatory for all people aged six and over to wear face coverings ‘on public streets, in outdoor spaces and in any closed space that has a public use or is open to the public’.

Masks were already mandatory in all public spaces, including outdoors, but now these rules will also apply to anyone sunbathing and even anyone swimming in the sea.

The strict new law has also stripped regional governments of their right to adapt rules on mask wearing, which means it applies throughout the whole of Spain (local governors had exempted people from wearing masks last summer, which turned out to be a disaster).

Interestingly, Professor Mark Woolhouse, professor of infectious disease epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh, says there’s no record of super spreading occurring on crowded beaches:

There’s never been a Covid-19 outbreak linked to a beach ever anywhere in the world to the best of my knowledge.

I think we do have to understand where the risks are so that we can do as much as possible safely.

Spain’s crackdown comes amid concerns they could be facing the fourth major Covid surge since the pandemic began. The Health Ministry recorded 149 cases per 100,000 people over 14 days on Monday, up from 129 cases per 100,000 a week ago. Not good.

So it looks like it’s RIP to Spain’s tourism industry, which has already taken a battering over the last year. I guess that explains why they’re pushing for vaccine passports, which their tourism minister reckons will be good to go by July, meaning they might have a proper summer yet.

Holidays to Spain are not yet on the cards for Brits as scientists warn Europe’s third wave could screw up the UK’s vaccine rollout. The Government has previously said foreign travel would be allowed from May 17 at the earliest, but this is expected to be pushed back as cases continue to surge around Europe.

All things considered, your best bet will probably be to spend the summer in your back garden with no mask required. I mean what’s the alternative? Go to Spain and end up rocking some kind of weird bearded tan style? Last thing you need is more tan lines to worry about. Happy holidays, everybody!

For the massive fight that broke out in Nottingham city centre the other day during the heatwave, click HERE. Finally, some semblance of normality.