Bill to expand mandatory mask use and boost health staffing

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill would require people aged six and over to wear masks in enclosed public spaces, outdoor public spaces and on public transport, including platforms and stations. Exceptions include individual outdoor sports, as long as a 1.5-meter distance is kept from people outside the same household.
2. It would also allow the Government to change mask rules by royal decree when the epidemiological situation improves or worsens, after consulting the Interterritorial Council of the National Health System.
3. It would keep, until December 31, 2022, the option for retired medicine and nursing professionals to combine their pension with care work related to COVID-19.
4. It would exceptionally and temporarily allow the hiring of health professionals holding specialist degrees earned outside the European Union. Contracts could be extended in three-month periods up to a maximum of twelve, and care work must be supervised by staff professionals.
5. It would correct the 2021 uprating of non-contributory pensions and other benefits, so recipients would receive, before April 1, 2022 and in a single payment, the difference owed due to the rise in the CPI.
6. The rule would enter into force the day after its publication in the Official State Gazette.

Who it affects

• People aged six and over: Would have to wear masks in enclosed and outdoor public spaces and on transport, except for the listed exceptions.
• Retired medicine and nursing professionals: Could return to COVID-19 care work while combining their pension, until December 31, 2022.
• Health professionals trained outside the European Union: Could be hired by regional governments, the National Health Management Institute and the Ministry of Defense, under supervision.
• Recipients of non-contributory pensions and other 2021 benefits: Would receive a single payment before April 1, 2022 covering the uprating difference.

Words worth knowing

Real decreto-ley (royal decree-law)

A rule with the force of law that the Government can approve immediately in situations of extraordinary and urgent need; Congress must later validate it.

Consejo Interterritorial del Sistema Nacional de Salud

Body where the Government and the regional governments coordinate health policy.

Pensión no contributiva (non-contributory pension)

A pension for people with insufficient income who have not paid enough social security contributions to get a contributory pension.

Convalidación (validation)

Congress vote approving a royal decree-law already in force; without it, the rule stops applying.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries