Brits will be made to wear facemasks on the beach if they are able to holiday in Spain this summer.
The rule comes into play after the Spanish central government directive on Tuesday tightened up the use of the face coverings.
Under the stricter measures facemasks must be worn on the beach when people are sunbathing and social distancing.
The new diktat is expected to remove powers from regional authorities to exempt sun seekers from taking the face masks off even when they are lying on their towels.
It remains to be seen how police will enforce the rules to enable tourists to go for a swim in the sea without leaving themselves open to a fine.
But they are expected to adopt a common-sense approach where they see people heading for the water without their face coverings on.
But the tightening of the rules will leave holidaymakers at risk of mask tan lines this summer in popular tourist areas like the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol.
Only children over six and adults with illnesses that could cause them breathing difficulties will be exempted from wearing face masks in public at all times.
They will not be mandatory either for people doing individual sport outdoors, although regional communities are expected to maintain the right to make them compulsory for the likes of runners and cyclists if they see fit.
Balearic Islands governors, responsible for Majorca and Ibiza, were among those who exempted beachgoers from wearing face masks last summer when they were able to social distance.
The new government decree, issued in an official state bulletin, makes them obligatory at all times in public even when people are social distancing.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock gave hope to Brits hoping for holidays abroad this summer by insisting on Monday the door “was not shut.”
He told ITV’s This Morning more will be known from government scientists in the next few weeks, saying: “We’re not yet sure, but we’re doing the science in Porton Down, and watching very closely, and if that all goes well, then we haven’t got a problem and then we’ll be much more relaxed about international travel.
“We will know more over the next few weeks.”
Public Health England’s lab in Porton Down is trying to determine whether current vaccines are less protective against variants of coronavirus such as those found in South Africa and Brazil.
Mr Hancock said: “The door is not shut on foreign holidays this summer, it’s just too early to say.”
The Prime Minister is set to give more information about foreign travel on April 5, a week before the government's global travel task force is due to report.
