February
NO MORE MASKS ON PUBLIC TRANSPORT
From February 8, after 1,010 days, masks were no longer compulsory on public transport, only in health centres. As Covid levels hit their lowest point since the virus began, public use of masks was downgraded from obligatory to recommended.
MWC RETURNS
Following the unprecedented success of the 2022 edition held in hybrid format, the high expectations for the 2023 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona were met, with almost 90,000 attendees across the four days of the event.
CATALAN LEADERS’ RIGHTS UPHELD
While limiting the possibilities of Belgium denying the handover of exiled Catalan leaders to Spain, the EU’s Court of Justice stated that such requests could be rejected when a violation of individual rights or “generalised deficiencies” in the system are to be found.
TRAGEDY STRIKES
A massive earthquake devastated large areas of southern Turkey (officially the Republic of Türkiye) and war-torn northwest Syria in early February, leaving many dead and millions of people struggling to rebuild their lives amid a humanitarian crisis.
