Kirsty Mckenzie
ANDALUCIA’S Minister of Health and Families believes coronavirus will soon resemble a common cold and thinks Omicron could be the beginning of the end of the pandemic.
Jesus Aguirre said on Thursday (February 10) that he believes the world will soon learn to function again as normal.
Speaking at the Virgen del Rocio University Hospital in Sevilla, the minister said he trusts the sixth wave of the virus will be ‘the last big one’ Andalucia will see, adding that the virus was ‘already disappearing’.
He raised hopes that cases are starting to slow and said that the new figures ‘give us hope’.
Mr Aguirre pointed to Andalucia’s flatlining cases and hospital admissions as an encouraging sign that things are starting to turn around.
He said: “We hope that this is the last great wave in Andalucia, although it may be that we have timely peaks or that the virus remains seasonal.
“We have a highly immunised population because, either everyone is already vaccinated or the infection has already passed.”
But he did state that progress was dependent on possible new variants emerging.
However, he added that he wanted to convey ‘tranquillity’ to the people of Spain.
He said: “We will begin to normalise our lives after these two very hard years and our pandemic fatigue
“In this wave, we have had 30-40% of asymptomatic cases and a large majority that have passed the disease with mild symptoms.
“Andalucians have a very high immunity, something that protects us. Hopefully, this will prepare us for possible new variants, but if they have other components, we’ll see what happens.”
His comments come as face masks will no longer be compulsory outdoors in Spain from today.
The royal decree order that ends the general obligation to wear a face mask in outdoor spaces was published on Wednesday, in Spain’s Official State Gazette (BOE).
There are, however, situations when the COVID-19 protection measure will remain mandatory.
According to the royal decree order, people aged six and older are obliged to wear masks, regardless of safety distance, in any enclosed space which is open to the public such as concerts, demonstrations and sporting events.READ MORE:
- Children will no longer have to wear a face mask in the school playground as of this ThursdayEXPLAINER: The areas of Spain that still use COVID-19 passports and where you have to show them
