Spain to adopt mask-wearing outdoors amid record virus surge

MADRID (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is convening a special Cabinet meeting Thursday to pass a decree-law that makes it mandatory to wear masks outdoors amid a record surge in COVID-19 cases. His office said at a meeting with the leaders of Spain’s regional governments, Sánchez offered to deploy the armed forces to help step up their vaccination rollout and put military hospital beds at their disposal. Also, medical teams in Spain may be reinforced with retired staff and specialists who earned their qualifications outside the European Union. Fully vaccinated people won’t need to quarantine if they have been in contact with an infected person.