Madrid, Jan 10 (IANS): The Spanish government has imposed the mandatory use of facemasks in hospitals and health centres from Wednesday, following a sharp escalation of Covid-19 and flu cases in recent weeks.

The decision was taken after a meeting between Health Minister Monica Garcia and representatives of Spain's 17 autonomous communities, despite objections from some regions including Madrid and Castille-Leon, reports Xinhua news agency.

Spain has reported a sharp rise in respiratory illnesses, with the infection rate soaring to over 952 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

The peak of infections is set to arrive in the coming days, Garcia said.

"We are talking about wearing a facemask when you enter a health center and taking it off when you leave. I don't think that is a drama, it is a basic and simple measure," she said, adding that the Health Ministry would work side by side with communities to protect citizens' health.

In a separate post on X, Garcia said that "given the resurgence of respiratory viruses, we have to take care of each other".

"We once again convene an extraordinary Council with the Autonomous Communities to promote coordinated actions that help desaturate health services," she added.

A return to obligatory face masks was already announced in the regions of Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia and Aragon last week.

Speaking to local media, Garcia said her ministry was also considering removing a requirement to present a doctor's note if employees are off work for health reasons for three days or less, a move that would save thousands of doctors' visits a year.

Spain, one of the worst-hit countries in Europe by the pandemic, has reported a total of 13,914,811 Covid cases and 121,760 deaths since it erupted in early 2020.