The Spanish government will lift the requirement to wear masks outdoors as a measure to combat the coronavirus from February 10, Health Minister Carolina Darias said, according to Reuters.

This measure was reinstated at the end of December to contain the spread of the omicron variant.

The cabinet plans to approve the changes at its weekly meeting scheduled for Tuesday and put them into effect in two days, Darias told La SER radio station.

The government always said it would only last as long as it was strictly necessary, she said. As the infection rate has dropped for several days, the government believes the situation has changed, she said.

The total death toll from the pandemic in Spain is 94,040, with 10.2 million cases.

Several European countries have begun lifting COVID-related restrictions in recent days. Wearing a mask is no longer mandatory in France, and the Italian government announced on Wednesday that it would publish a timetable for the phased lifting of restrictions.