Spain will begin to ease confinement restrictions starting Monday, the country’s health minister and an important adviser announced Thursday.
“As of Monday, around 70% of the Spanish population, or 32 million people will be in phase two. About 30% of the population or 15 million people will be in phase one and 45,000 people will be in phase three, “said Health Minister Salvador Illa at a press conference.
At the beginning of this week, just over half of the population was still in the most restrictive phase one.
Parts of the regions of Castilla, Valencia, Catalonia, Murcia, Andalusia and Castilla y León will pass to phase two, which allows meetings of up to 15 people who do not live together, some indoor restaurant service and the opening of shops, cinemas and museums but with occupancy limits.
Four islands in the Balearic and Canary archipelagos with small populations and low risk of infection will advance to phase three, with further easing of movement and meeting restrictions.
“The data is good, we are on the right track, but I have to insist: it is very important to know that this is a very complex phase and to maintain an attitude of individual responsibility because a mistake can put at risk everything that has been done so far”, Illa added.
The Madrid region, which includes the capital of Spain and the surrounding cities, will remain in phase one without any change, health officials explained.
“All this evolution is due to the effort made by the population and the health system to control this epidemic,” said Dr. Fernando Simón, director of the Center for Health Emergencies in Spain.
Simón also told reporters that “small re-emergencies” have been identified very quickly and are being closely monitored by local authorities to “avoid a new outbreak and maintain this favorable trend.”
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