Coronavirus - 10 February 2022

Summary for Thursday, 10th February 2022

Good morning

Welcome to today's live coverage of the Coronavirus pandemic, with news updated throughout the day.

Here is a roundup of the main stories from the past 24 hours:

• In the UK, The Metropolitan police is going to review its decision not to include the Christmas quiz in Downing Street on 15 December 2020 in its partygate investigation in the light of a new picture showing prime minister Boris Johnson with a bottle of prosecco and two staff members.
  
  
• Sweden scrapped almost all of its few pandemic restrictions and stopped most testing for Covid, even as the pressure on the healthcare systems remained high and some scientists begged for more patience in fighting the disease.
  
  
• New Zealand’s anti-vaccine protesters are being evicted from parliament grounds on the third day of their protest, with more than 50 arrested after clashes with police.
  
  
• Blockades on the busiest border bridge between Canada and the US to protest against coronavirus rules could have a serious impact on the economies of both countries, disrupting the automotive industry, agricultural exports, and causing multimillion-dollar losses, the two countries’ governments have said.
  
  
• The US government is planning to roll out Covid-19 jabs for children under the age of 5 as soon as 21 February. The US Food and Drug Administration is considering authorising the use of the Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE vaccine in the age group even though it did not meet a key target in a clinical trial of two- to four-year-olds.
  
  
• Palestinian authorities have ramped up Covid testing and vaccinations in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, and have warned that public indifference to calls for mask-wearing and social distancing is hampering efforts to fight the pandemic. The Palestinian Authority health ministry registered more than 64,000 active cases of Covid on Wednesday.
  
  
• Boris Johnson plans to abolish the last domestic Covid restrictions in England, including the requirement for people with the virus to self-isolate, in less than two weeks, a month earlier than initially proposed, he announced.
  
  
• Top European Union officials said low absorption of Covid-19 vaccines in African countries had become the main problem in the global vaccine rollout following a recent increase in supplies of jabs,
  
  
• Only five hospitals in Afghanistan still offer Covid treatment, with 33 others having been forced to close in recent months for lack of doctors, medicines and even heating, the Associated Press reports. It comes as the economically devastated nation is hit by a steep rise in the number of reported coronavirus cases.
  
  
• Spain’s King Felipe has tested positive for Covid-19 on Wednesday after displaying mild symptoms overnight and will remain in isolation for seven days, the Royal Palace has said.
  
  
• Japan is set to extend Covid restrictions in Tokyo and 12 prefectures by three weeks as the Omicron variant continued to spread. The country has been breaking daily records for coronavirus cases and deaths amid a surge in infections driven by Omicron.
  
  
• Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has tested positive for coronavirus and is showing mild symptoms, the royal court said. The 81-year-old monarch received a third dose of the vaccine in November, the court said.
  
  

Support for authoritarianism grows in pandemic, report says

Democratic standards across the world fell again in 2021 amid the pandemic and growing support for authoritarianism to leave just over 45 percent of the world’s population living in a democracy, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) said on Thursday.
As in 2020, less than half of the world’s population is living in a democracy but the trend has deteriorated further, the London-based analysis group said according to Reuters.
Its annual democracy Index “sheds light on continued challenges to democracy worldwide, under pressure from the coronavirus pandemic and increasing support for authoritarian alternatives,” the group said.
Its annual index, which provides a measurement of the state of global democracy, registered its biggest fall since 2010 and set “another dismal record” for the worst global score since the index was first produced in 2006.
In Europe, Spain was downgraded to a “flawed democracy”, reflecting a deterioration in its score for judicial independence.
The EIU said the UK also dropped in the ranking following controversies over party financing and a series of scandals, but remains a “full democracy”.

The UK dropped in the rankings following a series of scandals though it still remains a ‘full democracy’. Photograph: Victoria Jones/PA

Less than half - 45.7 percent - of the world’s population now live in a democracy of some sort, a significant decline from 2020 where the figure was 49.4 percent.
Even fewer - 6.4 percent - reside in a “full democracy” after Chile and Spain were downgraded to “flawed democracies”. Spain’s downgrade reflects a deterioration in its score for judicial independence, it said.
More than a third of the world’s population live under authoritarian rule, a large proportion of which are in China.
“China has not become more democratic as it has become richer. On the contrary, it has become less free,” the EIU said.
The top three places in the index are occupied by Norway, New Zealand and Finland while the final three countries are North Korea, Myanmar and Afghanistan.
Along with Tunisia, Myanmar and Afghanistan recorded the biggest declines in the index following the military coup and Taliban takeover in those countries.

New Zealand has announced 306 new community infections of Covid-19 today, a new record.

Tess McClure - The Guardian
Case numbers have been tracking upward since Omicron arrived several weeks ago, and the country now has 2,470 active cases in the community, and 815 in border facilities.In a statement, the Ministry of Health urged New Zealanders to prepare in case they were infected or had to self-isolate.
“As cases of Omicron continue to be identified around the country, it’s important New Zealanders are as ready as they can be if they contract the virus or come into contact with someone else who has the virus.”
“Make sure you have your personal plans ready, and follow the key public health advice of getting vaccinated, boosted, tested (if you’re symptomatic) and masking up.”
Ninety-five per cent of New Zealanders aged over 12 have had two doses of the vaccine, and 55% have had a booster dose. The government is currently running a campaign to get booster levels as high as possible before Omicron becomes widespread.
This week, the government also announced exemptions from self-isolation for some workers, in an effort to keep critical supply chains running.
“We’ve seen overseas that a combination of high rates of Omicron alongside isolation periods for contacts has put severe strain on supply chains and the provision of important services,” Covid-19 response minister Chris Hipkins said.
Under the new regulations, workers at critical businesses will be able to continue working after being exposed to Covid-19, as long as they return daily negative rapid-antigen tests.

New Zealand police clash with anti-vaccine protesters at parliament, over 120 arrested

Eva Corlett - The Guardian
In more news from New Zealand, police began evacuating anti-vaccine protesters from parliament grounds on the third day of their demonstration, with more than 120 arrested after clashes.
Police brought in around 150 extra officers from around the country on Thursday to try to clear the protesters from parliament grounds, where they had pitched tents and parked cars, blocking traffic.
The police picked people off one-by-one at the front of the line, prompting scuffles to break out, and sparking shouts from the crowd of “shame on you, shame on you!” towards the officers.

Protesters demonstrating against public health measures, among other things, outside parliament in Wellington. Photograph: Marty Melville/AFP/Getty Images

By Thursday afternoon, the police had arrested 120 people and used pepper spray on some members of the crowd, but made little headway in moving the protesters off parliament’s grounds. Two police staff were injured and some protesters suffered minor injuries.
The police expect the protest will continue over some days, requiring a rolling door of officers to be brought in from other parts of the country, said Wellington district commander superintendent Corrie Parnell.
There had been good lines of communication with some of the organisers, but Parnell said that had “eroded to a point where [the police are] beyond engaging, educating, encouraging”.
He said protestors had been putting their children on the frontline of the protest, which presented a significant risk for those children and was “less than ideal” for officers trying to move people on.
For the full article and video, click  here

Covid cases in Japan showing signs of peaking

Japan’s biggest wave of Covid-19 cases to date is showing signs of peaking though authorities are extending virus curbs into next month to try to bring down the rate of hospitalisations, Reuters reports.
Top medical adviser Shigeru Omi said on Thursday that health centres would shift towards focusing on care for the elderly and those at risk of developing serious illness.
“While infections are still increasing, there’s a relative slowing trend among working people in their 20s and 30s,” he told reporters after a health taskforce meeting.
Japan will on Friday begin a long weekend that have in the past coincided with increases in cases.
Virus curbs in Tokyo and 12 prefectures that had been due to expire on Sunday will be extended until March 6, prime minister, Fumio Kishida, said on Wednesday.
A expert panel said that while the rate of infections was slowing, the medical system remained under pressure and hospitalisations may continue to rise.
Tokyo reported 18,287 new infections on Wednesday, down from a record 21,576 on Feb. 2 in the first week-on-week decline in almost two months.
Nationwide data show the same flattening trend, while cases in the southern prefecture of Okinawa, where this latest wave first gained momentum, continue to ebb.

Nine new Covid cases detected among Winter Olympics games-related personnel in Beijing

The Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics Organizing Committee says that a total of 9 new Covid-19 cases were detected among games-related personnel on 9 Feburary, Reuters reports.
Six of the cases were found among new airport arrivals, according to a notice on the Beijing 2022 official website.
Three others were among those already in the *closed loop* bubble that separates all event personnel from the public, and all three were classified as either an athlete or team official, the notice said.

Oscars ceremony won’t require proof of vaccination to attend

The Oscars will reportedly not require proof of Covid-19 vaccination in order attend the in-person ceremony in Hollywood on 27 March.
Instead, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences will require guests to provide a negative PCR test or a negative rapid antigen test on the day of the event, the Hollywood Reporter and Variety reported on Wednesday. Attendees are encouraged to be vaccinated and those who are not will have to comply with stricter testing requirements in order to attend.
This year’s ceremony will return to the Dolby Theater after a smaller, scaled-down event at Union Station in Los Angeles last year. This year will also mark the first time the event has had a host since 2018, though the Academy has not yet announced who that will be.

Coronavirus cases rising rapidly in Tonga

Coronavirus cases continue to rise rapidly on the Pacific island of Tonga, with tests confirming that the particularly contagious omicron variant is behind its first community outbreak since the start of the pandemic, the Associated Press reports:

Health minister Saia Piukala told reporters that 31 more people had tested positive for the virus, nearly doubling Tonga’s active cases for the second day in a row to a total of 64, the online Matangi Tonga news portal and other media reported.
While the number may seem small, the nation of 105,000 had managed to escape thus far without any infections aside from a single case brought in from a missionary returning to Tonga from Africa last October, which was successfully isolated.
But with the deliveries of critically-important international aid following the 15 January eruption of the massive undersea volcano and a resulting tsunami, two dock workers tested positive at the start of last week for Covid-19.
Despite efforts to contain the outbreak, it has been spreading and is now being reported in more areas, Piukala said. Five tests that had been sent to Australia for analysis confirmed it was the omicron variant of the virus, he said.
Three people were confirmed killed in the eruption and tsunami, and several small settlements in outlying islands were wiped out.
The Red Cross and other health authorities have warned that as Tonga tries to deal both with the aftermath of the natural disaster and the coronavirus outbreak, its fragile health care system risks becoming quickly overwhelmed.
At the same time, Tonga’s isolation — which helped protect it from the virus for more than two years — is now a liability, making it more difficult to provide outside assistance.
In a sign of hope, however, Piukala said all of the latest cases have so far only reported mild symptoms, and that all were vaccinated except for the children. He did not say how many children were affected.
Tonga’s vaccination program had already been doing well, but the current outbreak has led thousands of people to turn out for their first shots or boosters.
As of yesterday, 98% of the country’s eligible population, aged 12 and up, had received at least one dose and 88% were fully vaccinated. More than 67% of Tonga’s total population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Health Ministry.

Relief supplies are unloaded from a Japan self-defence Forces’ C-130 Hercules after the airplane arrived at Fua’amotu international airport on the island of Tongatapu, Tonga on 22 January Photograph: Japan Defense Ministry/Reuters

Police ban "freedom convoy" from holding planned protests in Paris

The Paris police authority said it has decided to ban the so-called motorists’ “freedom convoy” from holding protests in the French capital, due to begin tomorrow and last four days, Reuters reports.
Protesters had set out from southern France yesterday with plans to converge on Paris and Brussels to demand an end to Covid-19 restrictions, inspired by demonstrators who have blocked a Canadian border crossing.
About 200 protesters assembled in a parking lot in Nice, on France’s Mediterranean coast, with many displaying Canadian flags in a nod to the truckers in Canada who are protesting their government’s Covid-19 restrictions.

A French activist holds a poster reading “Resistance” in Nice before the start of their “Convoi de la liberte” (The Freedom Convoy), a vehicular convoy protest planning to converge on Paris to protest coronavirus disease vaccine and restrictions in France Photograph: Eric Gaillard/Reuters

A scientist has said the imminent relaxation of Covid rule in England is “a political statement rather than a scientific one” and an “act of irresponsibility”. 

The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, announced yesterday that all Covid regulations, including the requirement to isolate after testing positive, are to be abolished in England in two weeks, a month earlier than originally anticipated (via PA Media).
Prof Tim Spector, who runs the Zoe app Covid study at King’s College London, told Times Radio:

This is more a political type of statement rather than a scientific one, and I think we have to really look at this in the context, both of politics and science, and also what’s happening, because there is some rationale to this and other countries are doing things similar, but it’s clearly a race for the government to say that Britain is first, Britain is the first to come out of this, Britain has conquered Omicron, our booster programme is world beating etc, etc.
But I think what they’re relying on is data that is highly disputed scientifically that, really, the UK has come out of this faster and better than anyone else.

He said hospital admissions and deaths are down but the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Zoe data show the UK is still at more than 200,000 cases a day “and we’re still close to where we were on 1 January and that peak we had”.
He added:

It’s definitely not over - your risk of getting it is huge - and to suddenly give the wrong message... by saying ‘We’re getting rid of all restrictions, if you’ve got an infection don’t bother isolating’, which is sort of implied but not said, that is totally wrong.
So, other countries might be doing this, but they have a much stronger public health message and a much better-educated public about the pandemic which we lack here in this country.

He said other countries will stick with four or five days of isolation.“They won’t be saying to everyone ‘Don’t bother, just go and infect your workmates’ which seems crazy,” he said.
Asked if Boris Johnson’s announcement was “an act of irresponsibility”, Spector replied: “I think it is... giving the impression that Britain, that the UK, has beaten Covid, I think it’s totally the wrong way to do it.”

Philippines welcomes back foreign tourists

The Philippines welcomed back more than 200 foreign tourists today, becoming the latest south-east Asian nation to reopen in a bid to revive a battered tourism sector after its borders shut to visitors nearly two years ago due to the pandemic. From Reuters:
Popular for its white sand beaches and rich marine life, the Philippines has seen a sharp drop in coronavirus cases.
Tourism officials at Manila’s airport greeted passengers flying in from countries including the United States and China to visit beaches or reunite with family and friends.
“I think it will be a good boost for tourism and the Filipino economy,” said Shawn James Stickney, 31, a Malaysian social media influencer living in Australia who flew in to surprise his girlfriend.
At the Walled City of Intramuros in Manila, horse carriage drivers and bike rental operators were preparing for what they hoped would be a steady flow of vacationers to revive their incomes. “Half of our guests are foreigners who are on vacation here so we are very happy to know that our country is finally open to foreign tourists,” said Russel Leyco, a bike rental manager.
New coronavirus cases in the Philippines have fallen from a September peak of more than 33,000 to just over 3,500 a day, while more than half of the country’s 110 million people have now been fully vaccinated.
Tourists need to show proof of vaccination but do not need to quarantine and travel companies hope the trickle of arrivals will turn into a flood to give the sector a lift. “We hope that these numbers continue to increase in the days, weeks and months ahead,” said Jose Clemente, head of a tourism industry group.
The Philippines had 8.26 million visitors in 2019, but that fell 82% in 2020 when borders shut.

Brussels bans pan-European "freedom convoy"

Brussels authorities have banned a pan-European “freedom convoy” of motorists protesting Covid restrictions from entering the Belgian capital, the regional government said in a statement.
Reuters reports the convoy was expected to arrive at the home of European Union institutions and NATO on Monday. Authorities in Paris had earlier banned the convoy.
Protesters set out from southern France on Wednesday in what they called a “freedom convoy” that will converge on Paris and Brussels to demand an end to Covid restrictions, inspired by demonstrators who have gridlocked the Canadian capital Ottawa.
“The Federal Police will control motorised vehicles on the main roads to Brussels that come to demonstrate in Belgium. The Region and the City of Brussels will issue decrees banning demonstrations with trucks on their territory,” a statement from the Brussels region said, adding they had not received yet any request to protest.
In Canada, horn-blaring demonstrations demanding an end to Canadian Covid vaccine mandates for cross-border truck drivers have gridlocked Ottawa for weeks and have now spilled over to key Canada-US border crossings.

'Devil in the detail' with Australia border reopening says Irish Support Agency

Connell McHugh - Irish Post
A woman working with the Irish Support Agency in Sydney has said that "the devil is in the detail" for the recently announced Australian border reopening on 21 February.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison made the announcement on Monday that the borders of the country would be reopening to those who are fully vaccinated from that date.
Paula Cobain, a co-ordinator with the agency, said the last two years have been particularly tough for temporary VISA holders, "who were, in the first instance, ineligible for government supports and then unable to avail of the exemption to leave process that was open to permanent residents and citizens hoping to return home on compassionate grounds."
She said that while most of the Irish Support Agency team have permanent residency/citizenship and have been allowed to leave the country since November, it is "still unclear if those on Covid (408) VISAs will be permitted to leave and return."
"I understand this is not supported by the legislation," Paula said.
"Parents of those with PR/Citizenship have also been able to travel here this last few months, so the announcement really only impacts those temporary VISA holders not on the original list.
"Unfortunately there are a whole host of people who transferred to this VISA when their Working Holiday VISAs expired and they will have to await clarification before booking their tickets.
"Unfortunately even the migration lawyers have variable interpretations of this, so the champagne is definitely on hold for now."
Paula said that throughout the past two years, many people chose "to abandon the adventure and return home."
Those who did stay faced a very uncertain future," she said. "Many had built a life here for themselves and their family and returning home was just not an option."
"Over time, the angst being experienced within the Irish community grew as the reality of the new border restrictions became apparent."
She said people "felt trapped" and "separated from friends and families", and missed life events such as marriages, christenings and saying goodbye to loved ones.
"That aspect has been particularly tragic, watching people grappling with really difficult decisions at a time of crisis within their families."
Paula's two sons live in London, one of whom has just been approved for a VISA to travel to Australia this weekend, so she said she understands the excitement of reunions that will face Irish people in the country in the coming weeks and months.
"Thankfully for many, this announcement will be met with considerable excitement as families plan their long awaited reunions and grandparents meet the new babes and bubs for the very first time.
"It serves as a reminder to us all of the very difficult decisions made by the emigrating Irish over the years, long before Skype and Facetime!"

Prince Charles self-isolating after contracting Covid for second time

Prince Charles has tested positive for Covid-19, his office said on Thursday, the second time the heir to the throne has contracted the virus.
“This morning The Prince of Wales has tested positive for Covid-19 and is now self-isolating,” Clarence House said, adding he had cancelled his planned engagements for Thursday.
“HRH is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today’s events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible.”
Charles, 73, who said in December both he and his wife Camilla had received their booster shots, first tested positive for Covid in March 2020 when he said he had been “lucky” to have suffered only mild symptoms. He spent seven days in self-isolation at his Birkhall home in Scotland before resuming his duties.

On Wednesday, he attended a reception for the British Asian Trust at the British Museum with Camilla, where the other guests included the chancellor Rishi Sunak, the home secretary Priti Patel and the health secretary Sajid Javid.

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall celebrating the British Asian Trust in London on Wednesday with the home secretary, Priti Patel, chancellor, Rishi Sunak, his wife, Akshata Murthy, and others. Photograph: Reuters


Charles speaking to the home secretary, Priti Patel. Photograph: Reuters

Scotland’s health secretary, Humza Yousaf, has accused Boris Johnson of announcing an end to England’s Covid restrictions as a blatant attempt to “distract and deflect” attention from the partygate crisis.
Severin Carrell - The Guardian
Yousaf said the policy appeared to have been cooked up at Downing Street with little scientific or expert support. The prime minister had failed to notify the UK’s devolved governments about the move, a signal it was a hasty political decision.
“This wasn’t a thought-out policy backed up by public health expert advice, it was a dead cat thrown on the dispatch box of the House of Commons in order to distract and deflect,” Yousaf said on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.
He said the Scottish government, which sets its own policies on Covid restrictions, had since asked for clarification about the basis of Johnson’s decision but had not yet had any. It had no plans to follow suit, he added.
“Since this decision was made – and it was a unilateral decision, one that wasn’t discussed with any of the other three nations of the UK – we’ve asked for that public health advice and none has been forthcoming.
“And I think we should just be frank … This was clearly an attempt to deflect scrutiny away from the prime minister’s behaviour”.
Johnson told MPs he expects to end England’s self-isolation rules for those infected with or exposed to Covid this month, a full month earlier than the 24 March expiry date currently set out in the regulations. A legal requirement to self-isolate will be replaced by unenforceable advice to do so.
Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon, is due to publish a comprehensive plan on a phased end to Covid restrictions on 22 February. She announced on Thursday that pupils and teachers in secondary schools in Scotland would no longer need to wear face coverings in classrooms from 28 February. Face masks in schools and physical distancing rules in enclosed spaces have been mandatory in Scotland.
Prof Andrew Watterson, a public health expert at Stirling University, said Johnson’s proposals were a “leap in the dark” and were out of step with policy across Europe. It would be unwise for Scotland to follow the prime minister’s lead, he said.
“It’s almost a big-bang approach by the UK government, a leap in the dark,” he told BBC Radio Scotland on Thursday. “It’s not measured in terms of gradually relaxing the controls, it’s a big leap. But there’s also confusion because it’s quite clear that what’s being called for, and even the prime minister has said this, is not an end to self-isolation, it’s an end to the regulation about it.”
Read more here.

Costa Rican president tests positive for Covid

The Costa Rican president, Carlos Alvarado, has tested positive for Covid-19, his office said on Thursday.
“He is doing well and will be in isolation at his home,” it added.

The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been isolating since Saturday after contracting Covid, tested negative on Thursday, the state-owned Anadolu news agency cited his doctor as saying.
Erdoğan said on Saturday he had tested positive for the Omicron variant.
“The PCR tests we have done over the past two days have come back negative,” his doctor, Serkan Topaloğlu, was quoted as saying. “I think the president will go back to his routine programme very soon, even tomorrow.”

UK records another 66,638 Covid cases and 206 deaths

The UK has recorded another 66,638 Covid infections and a further 206 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data on the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
That is compared with 68,214 cases and 276 fatalities recorded in the 24 hours prior.

Czech restaurant and hotel operators saw light at the end of the tunnel on Thursday as the government cancelled rules requiring vaccination certificates to enter restaurants and events as Omicron infections started to ebb.
Hotels and restaurants in Prague, a prime tourist destination, have suffered badly throughout the pandemic and now hope restrictions will not come back.
“The relaxation means guests can come without any restriction or persecution, that’s of course welcome ... This has been long for everyone, not just us in gastronomy but the entire society,” Tomas Lachman, a manager at Oblaca Restaurant at Prague’s TV tower, told Reuters.
The Czech Republic is the latest European country to ease restrictions as the government hopes the peak of the Omicron wave is over. Sweden lifted most restrictions on Wednesday.
The country of 10.7 million has suffered one of the world’s highest death tolls per capita with 37,660 victims to date. Daily infections peaked at 57,232 on 1 February, falling to 29,059 on Wednesday.
Enforcement of the vaccination certificate requirement has been weak and many pubs did not require guests to show them. Some actively refused to follow the rules.
“We were in a perverse situation where those who followed the rules suffered while those who didn’t give a damn and even declared it openly were making money,” said Tomas Prouza, head of a lobby group for commerce and tourism, welcoming the end of the system. “The numbers are going down, hospitals are not full, this is a time when we have to start living normally.”
The number of people in hospital has still been going up, to 3,784 on Tuesday, but is far below peaks of over 9,000 in March last year. The number of patients in serious condition was at just over 10% of the peak.
The government maintained a mask mandate indoors and on public transport, as well as limits to the size of audiences at culture and sports events. Mandatory regular testing at schools and workplaces will end on 18 February. The prime minister Petr Fiala said on Wednesday that most remaining restrictions would be lifted from March.
Katerina Joklova, general manager at Vienna House Andel’s Prague Hotel, told Reuters it had an occupancy rate of 10-15% and any relaxation was welcome. “It is certainly a light at the end of the tunnel, a sign that we are getting back to normal life.”

Spain drops mandatory use of face masks outdoors

Spain dropped the mandatory use of face masks outdoors on Thursday, though many people kept them on in Madrid, with face coverings now an everyday staple, AFP reports.
Spain first imposed obligatory mask-wearing outdoors in May 2020, but lifted it in June last year.
Wearing a face covering was still required for indoor public spaces.
However, the government reimposed the measure just before Christmas as Covid cases exploded due to the Omicron variant.
Even as rules eased across the country on Thursday, in Madrid, some kept them on out of habit.
“I’m wearing one and I’ll keep on doing so even though the law says I can take it off,” said Alberto Diaz, a pensioner from the southern Andalusia region who was in the city for a concert.
Face masks have been embraced across Spain in all public spaces, both inside and out, and they have largely become ubiquitous like in many cities in Asia.
Although they will remain compulsory at large open-air gatherings where social distancing is not possible, they will no longer be required in school playgrounds.
Newlyweds Ricardo Alfredo Sanchez and Yvette Candero looked delighted as they had their photo taken in Puerta del Sol Square.
“It’s not the same having a souvenir photo taken with your face covered, you can’t see the person’s expression or how happy they are,” said the groom.
In another anticipated move, in the northeastern region of Catalonia, nightlife venues were set to open at the stroke of midnight.
In late December, the Catalan government put in place some of Spain’s most restrictive measures to fight Omicron, imposing a night curfew from 1am, closing nightlife venues and halving the capacity in bars and restaurants.
The bar and restaurant restrictions were eased last month, but nightlife venues had remained closed, until Friday - with most set to open just after midnight.
Despite high vaccination rates, Covid cases exploded in Spain over the Christmas holidays, giving it one of Europe’s highest incidence rates, although that has now fallen.
So far, Spain has registered some 10.5 million infections and more than 95,000 deaths.

Confusion Over Queen's COVID Status After Meeting Prince Charles
Jack Royston - Newsweek
Queen Elizabeth II recently met Prince Charles—who tested positive for COVID-19 earlier on Thursday—but the monarch does not currently have symptoms, according to a Buckingham Palace source.
It was not immediately clear whether or not Elizabeth, who turns 96 in April, has taken a COVID test or what the result was.
A source told Newsweek she met with her son Charles recently but is not displaying any symptoms. They said the situation will continue to be monitored.
Both Elizabeth and Charles have been vaccinated against COVID.
Charles, the 73-year-old Prince of Wales, has canceled a visit to Winchester scheduled for later today.
He met British Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel at a British Asian Forum reception at the British Museum last night, on February 9.
A Clarence House statement read: "This morning The Prince of Wales has tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating. HRH is deeply disappointed not to be able to attend today's events in Winchester and will look to reschedule his visit as soon as possible."
Prince Charles' positive diagnosis creates new turmoil in the first week of Elizabeth's Platinum Jubilee year.
She celebrated her Accession Day on Sunday, February 6, which marked the 70th anniversary of the start of her reign and also of the death of her father King George VI.
However, several clouds hang over the year of celebrations, including Prince Andrew's Jeffrey Epstein lawsuit and tensions with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, including over the Home Office's refusal to provide them police protection.
Elizabeth used a Platinum Jubilee message to say she wanted Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, to be known as Queen Consort when Charles becomes king.
The decision reversed a 17-year palace policy that she should be Princess Consort which was originally designed to show respect to Princess Diana.
Camilla fulfilled her schedule of engagements on Thursday, February 10, despite her husband's positive diagnosis and commented on the announcement for the first time, saying she was "very touched."
The queen has shown leadership throughout the pandemic, famously sitting alone at Prince Philip's funeral, which was scaled down to meet COVID-19 rules.
Near the start of Britain's first lockdown, she gave a rare public broadcast in which she referenced World War Two to give a rallying call, in April 2020.
She said: "Today, once again, many will feel a painful sense of separation from their loved ones, but now as then, we know deep down that it is the right thing to do. While we have faced challenges before, this one is different. This time we join with all nations across the globe in a common endeavor.
"Using the great advances of science and our instinctive compassion to heal, we will succeed, and that success will belong to every one of us. We should take comfort that while we may have more still to endure, better days will return.
"We will be with our friends again. We will be with our families again. We will meet again. But for now, I send my thanks and warmest good wishes to you all."

Here is a quick recap of some of the main developments from today:

• Prince Charles met the Queen two days before testing positive for Covid for the second time. A palace source said the monarch was not displaying any symptoms, but declined to say whether or not she had tested negative. The 95-year-old is believed to have spent time with Charles on Tuesday when her eldest son was carrying out an investiture on her behalf at her Windsor Castle home. She is understood to be fully vaccinated so will not be self isolating, although she will be advised to take daily lateral flow tests for a week. The Prince of Wales, who first tested positive for Covid in March 2020, is self-isolating, Clarence House said. He had attended a reception at the British Museum on Wednesday to celebrate the work of the British Asian Trust. The event had brought him into close contact with the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, the home secretary, Priti Patel, and scores of others. Story here.
  
• Spain dropped the mandatory use of face masks outdoors. The Spanish government first imposed obligatory mask-wearing outdoors in May 2020, but lifted it in June last year. Wearing a face covering was still required for indoor public spaces. However, Spain reimposed the measure just before Christmas as Covid cases exploded due to the Omicron variant. Although they will remain compulsory at large open-air gatherings where social distancing is not possible, they will no longer be required in school playgrounds. More here.
  
• The UK recorded another 66,638 Covid infections and a further 206 deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to the latest data on the government’s coronavirus dashboard.
  
• The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who has been isolating since Saturday after contracting Covid, tested negative, the state-owned Anadolu news agency cited his doctor as saying. Erdoğan said on Saturday he had tested positive for the Omicron variant. “The PCR tests we have done over the past two days have come back negative,” his doctor, Serkan Topaloğlu, was quoted as saying on Thursday. “I think the president will go back to his routine programme very soon, even tomorrow.”
  
• The Costa Rican president, Carlos Alvarado, tested positive for Covid-19, his office said. “He is doing well and will be in isolation at his home,” it added.
  
• Africa is transitioning out of the pandemic phase of its Covid outbreak and moving towards a situation where it will be managing the virus long term, the World Health Organization’s regional head for Africa said. “The pandemic is moving into a different phase,” Dr Matshidiso Moeti said. “We think that we’re moving now, especially with the vaccination expected to increase, into what might become a kind of endemic living with the virus.” Moeti also said the number of Covid infections in Africa could be seven times higher than official data suggested, and deaths from the virus two to three times higher. “We’re very much aware that our surveillance systems problems that we had on the continent, with access to testing supplies, for example, have led to an underestimation of the cases,” Moeti told a briefing. Story here.