People in close contact with those who have tested positive for the coronavirus in Spain are, as of Saturday, no longer required to quarantine, regardless of their vaccination status.
Instead, the country’s Health Ministry recommends that those exposed to an infected person exercise caution and act responsibly. A similar rule for vaccinated people had been lifted recently, and this extension was attributed in part to lower case rates, the government said.
The change is expected to particularly affect schools, some of which have had to quarantine entire classrooms after detecting cases among students. Children under 12 are less likely to have completed their vaccination program, and only about 17 percent of the age group is fully vaccinated, according to government data.
Spain has joined a number of other countries in Europe in recently easing restrictions. The strategies and situations across the continent have varied, with some taking a more staggered approach and others more immediately trying to “live with the virus.”