Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has announced plans for mandatory face-coverings outside in response to a dramatic rise in Covid-19 infections.
The rule was dropped only six months ago, but Spain saw a record 49,823 cases on Tuesday.
The Omicron variant is spreading across Europe fast and the World Health Organization says the region is once again at the epicentre of the pandemic.
In Spain, the variant is believed to account for almost half of infections.
Mr Sánchez told regional leaders the mask measure would be put to ministers and signed into law before Christmas. He also announced an acceleration of the vaccine booster programme with greater involvement from the military.
Spain had a very successful vaccine rollout and during the autumn months it avoided the kind of strict measures imposed by other countries. But the Omicron variant has spread in a matter of days, and the incidence rate has jumped to 695 cases per 100,000 people which is higher than a year ago.
Last Christmas some Spanish regions sealed off their borders which limited travel. But, in parliament on Wednesday, the prime minister sought to reassure the public, saying: "Don't worry, families will be able to celebrate."
The WHO's Europe regional director, Hans Kluge, said the Omicron variant was already dominant in the UK, Denmark and Portugal and would likely become the continent's main variant "in a couple of weeks". Another 106,122 cases have been recorded in 24 hours in the UK.
Sweden has reported a 30% jump in Covid cases in the past week, and it has joined a growing number of EU countries requiring a negative test for travellers arriving there. The measure will take effect from 28 December. Finland announced a similar requirement on Tuesday night.
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