Reacción a "Reaction to the possible withdrawal of mandatory face masks on public transport next week"

In general, the use of facemasks on public transport is a non-pharmacological measure with a very small effect when used alone. In other words, in the situation in Spain, where there were practically no other non-pharmacological measures in place at the moment, it did not make sense to keep masks on public transport.  

This does not mean that it will never be necessary again, but for it to be effective, it must be accompanied by and be coherent with both the epidemiological situation and the other measures being taken. In this sense, it is important that contagion mitigation measures are thought of in a public health context and this means that the measures are socially accepted (effectiveness is even lower if people do not wear masks), coherent with the rest of the measures ("I have to wear a mask in the metro but I am in a crowded event closed for hours without any control") and that they understand the messages they convey.  

In relation to the latter, we cannot forget that one of the biggest public health challenges in the coming years is climate change and, when the only place with masks is public transport, an image is generated that it is the only place with a high risk of contagion, something that is not supported by the data. This may discourage its use, with negative consequences for public health.