Outdoor mask decree met with dismay by Spain's tourism industry

Ruling that face masks must be worn on beaches comes amid fears of fourth Covid wave

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The Spanish tourist industry has reacted with dismay to the government's decree that face masks must be worn in all outdoor spaces, including beaches and swimming pools, even when it is possible to maintain social distancing.

We're going through hell with thousands of jobs and businesses threatened and now they want to turn the beaches into open-air field hospitals," Jose Luis Zoreda, vice-president of Exceltur, the umbrella organisation that represents Spain's tourism industry, told El Pais newspaper.