Salvador Peiró
Epidemiologist, researcher in the Health Services and Pharmacoepidemiology Research Area of the Foundation for the Promotion of Health and Biomedical Research of the Valencian Community (FISABIO) and Director of Gaceta Sanitaria, the scientific journal of the Spanish Society of Public Health and Health Administration (SESPAS)
In the current context -decreasing incidence despite the absence of measures, including the generalised absence of masks; a relatively calm healthcare system; most of the population with hybrid immunity and relatively recent due to the wave of BA.5 this summer; no new variants capable of displacing BA.5 seem to be in sight for the time being- masks in public transport should contribute very little in terms of the population.
There is still sufficient transmission to maintain the recommendation of use (not obligation) in any enclosed space with crowds of people, especially thinking of the elderly and vulnerable and, in the same sense, in health centres.
In any case, more emphasis should be placed on maintaining cross ventilation, an aspect that may be in conflict with energy saving strategies and which, with the return to school and work, will probably be more important than masks in transport.