The Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso has approved this Friday the capacity restrictions that will mark the end of the de-escalation in the Community of Madrid. As a general rule, between this Sunday, June 21 and July 5, all businesses will have their interior capacity limited to 60% (80% in terraces of bars and restaurants, which may reuse their bars). From July 6, that percentage will reach 75% (100% in terraces). These measures will be modified depending on the evolution of the pandemic in the Community and will remain in force, in principle, until the Government of Spain decrees the end of the health alert. The use of a mask will continue to be mandatory when you cannot keep 1.5 meters away from other people.
“Healthcare data continues to decline,” said Enrique Ruiz-Escudero, Minister of Health. “The pressure in the emergency room is still very low,” continued the member of the Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who has no powers to restrict the movements of its citizens throughout the rest of Spain. “The virus situation in the Community is in control, always speaking from prudence and vigilance,” he added. “Now our great concern is the Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas airport, for imported cases.”
Fear of a pandemic outbreak has marked both the appearance and the design of the regional de-escalation plan. The national government articulated a three-phase plan to move from the strict confinement of the population to the so-called new normality. Madrid, the epicenter of the pandemic in Spain, has reached the end of the state of alarm, this Sunday, within phase 2, and without having gone through phase 3. The danger of the disease spreading again at full speed due to the region has meant that the Díaz Ayuso government has not decided how long the restrictions will be in force.
“It is not prudent to establish specific dates when we will return to normal, because we do not know: it depends on the epidemic,” said Ignacio Aguado, regional vice president. “It would not be prudent or responsible to set a date, although we are working to get to it as soon as possible,” added the leader of Cs after seeing how more than 16,000 people died in the Community from causes related to the coronavirus since March 1.
The vice president of the Community of Madrid, Ignacio Aguado. On video, Aguado explains this Friday the capacity of the establishments in Madrid.
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The gauges decreed for the two phases will apply to bullrings, tourist accommodation; commercial premises and retail establishments; shopping centers and parks, regardless of their surface; in libraries, archives, monuments and museums; in cinemas, theaters and auditoriums; in covered sports facilities; in betting and gaming establishments; in academies, driving schools and unregulated training; at fairs, congresses and events; in amusement parks, zoos and aquariums; and in bullrings.
Outside of these criteria are recreational pools (both private and municipal) that will maintain, until new orders, a maximum capacity of 50%, while sports pools – private and municipal – will have a capacity of 75%. From July 6 they will have no capacity limit, keeping the distance of 1.5 meters between their users in the areas of stay.
No nightclubs or bars
The easing of restrictions on capacity, however, has not reached all sectors. The discotheques, for example, will remain closed until at least July 5: after seeing how these businesses were at the center of the outbreaks that occurred in other countries, Madrid managers have considered that maintaining physical distance, and the use of masks, it was too difficult to allow opening.
Social services centers, except residences, will also be closed until July 5. In these residential centers, where at least 6,000 people have died from causes related to the coronavirus during the epidemic, the visiting regime will be made more flexible, which will continue by appointment, increasing the number of people who can come to be with their resident family member , since until now only one can go.
Also, as detailed by the Community in a statement, the time of the visit will be increased (for the time being, it has been maintained in half an hour) and the frequency will be increased, since previously the visits were limited, generally, to once per week. As of July 1, the students of the first cycle of Early Childhood Education will be able to return to the classrooms, voluntarily and with preference for those whose parents must work outside their home. The centers will have to offer the hours and services they provided until March 11.
In addition, playgrounds are reopened, and leisure-time activity camps are allowed, with 300 outdoor attendees and 75 indoors. The Community of Madrid passed on May 25 to phase 1 of the Transition Plan towards a new normality, prepared by the Government of Spain, and remained in phase 2 since June 8.
Up to 20 people in gyms
There may be a maximum of 20 people in the gyms, according to the order that will be published this Saturday Official bulletin of the Community of Madrid. Until July 6, these facilities may not exceed 60% capacity, and since then, they may reach 75%, already admitting up to 25 people. Users will not be able to share any material, they will have to access with a mask, and they must maintain a minimum distance of 1.5 meters between them in the changing rooms.
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