HOLIDAY hotspots in Spain could bring back compulsory face masks this summer due to worries over the rising number of Covid cases.
Brits heading to the Canary Islands and the Costa del Sol could be forced to wear masks again if the situation continues to worsen.
Cases of coronavirus are rising in Spain, giving health officials new concerns.
So far, the Spanish government has ruled out the reintroduction of the indoor masks rule, which was lifted in April for bars, shops and restaurants, but not on public transport.
While Brits can currently just wear them if they choose to, the possibility of forcing people to wear masks inside remains on the table.
Amós García Rojas, a Canary Islands public health official, said he couldn't rule out demanding mask indoors again “to protect the vulnerable”.
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He said: "The pandemic is not gone. It is necessary to continue maintaining certain restrictions and care, perhaps in the obligation to wear a mask indoors, if the situation does not improve."
The official blamed the rise in cases on several factors, including a relaxation in rules and the staging of some mass events.
He also said: "To all this must be added the appearance of new variants of Covid, which have more transmissible characteristics, which cause many more infections, but fortunately are also less virulent, most are mild or asymptomatic."
Mr Rojas insists that the current rise "is not as dramatic" as in other waves, thanks to vaccines which have managed to "modulate the negative impact" that the pandemic has had.
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However, he urged everyone to get vaccinated and said anyone dealing with vulnerable people, the elderly and those with serious illnesses should wear masks.
He also said he could not rule out a return to mandatory indoor mask wearing in the future, if infections continue to rise.
He said that if things continued as they are, "we will have to act accordingly" and warned against parties happening in popular Spanish resorts over the summer.
He said: "The massive parties that are taking place in Tenerife and Gran Canaria will lead to more infections. If the situation is not redirected, measures will have to be taken."
Elsewhere, on the Costa del Sol, the mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre, is backing the return to masks indoors to halt the rise in cases.
He said: "Otherwise, we are going to have a summer with many health problems that will affect the wellbeing and lives of many."
He believes mask wearing indoors is now "necessary" and also urged people to keep windows open in the face of the "acceleration" of infections.
Meanwhile, Spain's Minister of Health, Carolina Darias believes people should consider wearing masks indoors again to maintain protection due to an increase in both infections and hospital admissions.
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Spain is not the only place to consider bringing back mask rules, with Germany also open to the idea.
Mask rules on flights were recently scrapped after a recommendation by air safety experts.
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