Andalucía extends face mask recommendations for hospitals and care homes until May

Zoom

The regional government maintains voluntary guidelines until 18 May for healthcare staff and patients, though mandatory rules remain for high-occupancy periods

Europa Press

Friday, 6 February 2026, 15:58

The Andalusian regional government has extended until 18 May the recommendation to use face masks in hospitals and nursing homes in the region.

According to the official bulletin of the Junta de Andalucía (BOJA), this marks the “end of the twentieth epidemiological week of 2026, although a new order may be issued within this period, revoking the current one depending on how the situation develops”. This Friday, 6 February, saw the expiry of the extension granted by the regional authority several weeks ago.

In accordance with regulations, the use of face masks is recommended for both healthcare professionals and patients or users of hospitals and social care centres if the public health and pharmaceutical regulation declares that Andalucía has moved from the baseline situation to a low-level epidemic. Masks are also recommended when the incidence of acute respiratory infections in primary care within the health district where the centre is located has exceeded twice the baseline rate of such infections.

On the other hand, it will be mandatory in centres of the Andalusian health service (SAS) when the Phase II (moderate increase) or Phase III (sustained increase) of the high frequency plan 2025-2026 is reached repeatedly, at least three days in the last seven days.

It will also be compulsory in private centres when levels equivalent to Phases II and III are reached repeatedly.

Finally, in healthcare and social care centres, in the event of outbreaks of acute respiratory infections, measures should be taken when the attack rate among users (the proportion of residents who are ill out of the total number of residents) exceeds 30 per cent. According to official data, as of 28 January 2026, the influenza incidence rate in Andalucía had fallen by almost 12 points in one week, reaching 14.8 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This placed it below the epidemic threshold (19 cases), although “the epidemic is not considered over until two consecutive weeks below that threshold have accumulated”.

By provinces, Almeria went from 19.6 cases to 13.1; Cadiz, from 34 to 18.4; Cordoba, from 31.4 to 11.9; Granada, from 25.8 to 11.8; Huelva, from 32.5 to 22; Jaén, from 19.5 to 9; Malaga, from 21.5 to 13.4 and Seville, from 36.9 to 22.6, according to the details provided by the regional authority.

The rate of acute respiratory infections reached 330.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants last week, down from 355.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants the previous week.