Leisure Venues Launch a Campaign to Encourage Mask Use In The Valencian Community
The Federation of Leisure, Tourism, Gaming, Recreational Activities, and Related Industries of the Valencian Community, FOTUR has launched a campaign to make face masks compulsory in leisure premises and asks for the collaboration of customers’ users and citizens in general. “The current state of the COVID-19 pandemic indicates that we are entering an increase in infections, which harms the entire society,” they warned in a statement.
FOTUR’s board of directors held a meeting with the Valencia Health Department on Wednesday, in which minister Ana Barceló was present. Other attendees included Francesc Colomer, regional secretary of Tourism, Isaura Navarro, provincial secretary of Public Health and the Public Health System, Herme Vanaclocha, deputy director of epidemiology of the Conselleria de Sanitat Universal i Salut Pública.
Víctor Pérez, president of FOTUR, Juanjo Carbonell, general secretary of FOTUR, and other sector directors were also present.
At this meeting, all attendees were urged to understand the need to remind citizens of the importance of complying with health measures for Covid-19.
“The social relaxation in the use masks is a clear element of contagion. Hence, there exists an urgent need for all of us to collaborate in complying with sanitary regulations: taking our temperature, the use of hydro-alcoholic gel, and strict compliance with the use of the mask. These are measures that have been shown to help fight the virus,” they stressed.
FOTUR will launch its campaign through social networks, posters, flyers, and videos. It will be vigorously publicised in the leisure venues of the Valencian Community, promoting “a safe and fun leisure time”.
Masks Exemptions
The Community of Valencia Department of Universal and Public Health has established a series of exemptions for using masks, which is still mandatory in certain circumstances to prevent contagion of the coronavirus in the Valencian Community.
This is reflected in a resolution of the Minister of Health published this Thursday in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat Valenciana that modifies the cases in which the use of the mask is not mandatory. This resolution updates the last set of rules, introduced on October 8.
Sickness
People who cannot use the mask due to illness must have a report signed by their doctor in which “it is objectively and rigorously stated that the person has a disease or respiratory difficulty incompatible with mask use.”
Disability or dependency
In addition to these cases, those who, due to a disability or dependency, who do not have the capability to remove a mask, or who have behavioral alterations that make its use unviable will also be exempt from use.
Special activities
Mask wearing is not required during activities, where the use of a mask is incompatible, such as when eating or drinking.
Residences
Likewise, the mask may be dispensed with in places or closed spaces for public use that are part of the place of residence of the groups that meet there. An example would be institutions for the care of the elderly or people with disabilities.
Speakers in enclosed public places may remove the mask during their speech, but social distancing must be observed.
Masks will no longer be obligatory in shared accommodation or spaces for essential workers, provided that these groups and the workers have vaccination coverage against SARS-CoV-2 of more than 80% with complete vaccination, accredited by the health authority. This exception does not apply to external visitors, nor workers in residential centres for the elderly or people special needs.