Furious Brits have demanded tourists turn their back on an idyllic Spanish city after it was announced “ridiculous” new measures would be introduced against coronavirus and winter flu.
Those living inside Valencia – one of Spain’s most popular tourist destinations – have been told that strict new rules for people visiting the region will be put back in place.
Chiefly among the rules was the reintroduction of face masks as cases of coronavirus and the winter flu rise in the country.
But Brits unleashed their fury online at the decision, with many bemoaning the Spanish authorities for bringing back such a hated rule.
One wrote on X, formerly Twitter, that it was now a “place to avoid at all costs”, while another frustrated tourist simply said: “Ridiculous.”
Meanwhile others called for a “boycott”, as a fourth raged: “How absurd masks don’t work, and it is 2024, beyond time to leave that nonsense behind.”
The plea for facemasks to be used once again was made by the Spanish Society for Family Doctors, who said it was vital they were worn to curb a worrying rise in cases.
Valencia is among the sites chosen by the authorities, which also recommends people who work in shared spaces, professionals who care for symptomatic cases and people who work in Intensive Care Units and Units with Vulnerable Patients to wear them.
The hated rule, which was adopted across the world when COVID-19 first raged in 2020, would help ease the workload on hospital wards, including primary care emergency spaces.
Valencia is facing an illness rate of around 1,500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
So far, a full ban has not yet been put in place across the whole of Spain, but there are concerns it could be introduced nationally.
Flu remains a common illness throughout the winter months and experts say a spike in cases will be experienced during the third week of January.
