The OMIC continues to provide its services to the public electronically and through the 010 phone service. Claims and enquiries will continue to be preferably dealt with online. For those inquiries or complaints that require face-to-face attention, you must make an appointment in advance on the municipal procedures portal ajuntament.barcelona.cat/cita/omic, by calling 010, or at the Municipal Procedures Kiosk.

The maximum price for surgical masks is 60 cents

The maximum price for surgical masks is 60 cents

COVID-19. The Spanish government has lowered the price and VAT for these protective products by 35% compared to the price set in April, which was 96 cents.

Last week the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Medicine Prices revised the maximum sale price of single-use surgical masks and agreed to lower the sale price to 0.72 euros per unit, even at 21% VAT. Now the Spanish government has given its approval at the Council of Ministers to lower the VAT on masks from 21% to 4%.

If the two measures are brought together, the overall fall in mask prices is 35%: having dropped from the maximum 96 cents set in April, to 72 cents last week and to around 60 as of today.

The new sale price is set both for large areas and for pharmacy offices and online selling to guarantee free competition below the maximum set price and ensure that masks can be accessed under non-abusive financial conditions.

This maximum sale price will be subject to future revisions from the Inter-Ministerial Commission on Medicine Prices, the Ministry of Health’s collegiate body consisting of several ministries and regional communities, whereas the super-reduced VAT rate will remain valid until 31 December 2021.

 

Surgical masks: what are they like and where can they be purchased?

Surgical masks are the ones we are used to seeing in clinical settings. These masks prevent infected individuals from transmitting infectious agents as they are designed to filter the air they exhale. In fact, when we wear them, we are protecting the people around us, as we are preventing the virus from being dispersed whenever we sneeze, cough or speak.

When you buy them, remember that surgical masks can be purchased in packets from any establishment, but only pharmacies are allowed to sell them individually, by guaranteeing suitable conditions of hygiene that safeguard the quality of the product.

And don’t forget, above all, that they are only for single use. They cannot be reused. In fact, for comfort and hygiene, you are advised not to use the same mask for more than 4 hours and to change it whenever it becomes moist or dirty.

 

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