Catalan students over 6 to wear face masks at school

In the end all students in Catalan schools over 6 will have to wear face masks at all times when they start classes on September 14. Earlier this week, the Catalan government had presented a plan including that face masks will only be compulsory for those over 12 – yet, in a meeting held on Thursday, the Spanish government and the regional executives, including the one led by Quim Torra, agreed to set the age of six as the minimum to make them obligatory.

This measure includes when pupils are with their class, and also when they are keeping the 1.5-meter safety distance. The outcome of the meeting also entails other compulsory measures, including the need for students to wash their hands 5 times a day and get their temperatures tested every day – regions will be able to choose whether it is parents or schools those checking on their temperatures –.

After the meeting, Spain’s education minister, Isabel Celaá, said that schools will only close in case of a large outbreak – this contradicts the Catalan plans, which included the closure of a center if two students of different classes tested positive.