70 percent of Spain is already in the first phase of de-escalation, but the Community of Madrid and Barcelona and its metropolitan area, in Catalonia, will remain in confinement, although relieved, as decided by this Spanish Ministry of Health.
This new stage, known in Spain as phase 1, was already started by eleven of the 17 regions last week, and from Monday three others will be added in their entirety, totaling 32 million inhabitants.
There are still three communities with restrictions: the aforementioned Madrid and Catalonia, along with some areas of Castilla y León, which gather 14 million people, representing 30 percent of the country’s inhabitants.
But the Community of Madrid was the only region that saw its proposal to advance in the lack of confidence rejected, after it already happened last week, since the other two regional governments proposed restrictions in some of their territories.
According to a press conference reported by the Health spokesperson for the pandemic, the epidemiologist Fernando Simón, “the evolution (of the pandemic) has been very good”, but it is a community that suffered “the hardest part of the pandemic” and that influences its evolution.
Given this decision, the president of the Madrid community, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, criticized the Spanish government for “not letting Madrid go through the phase” because the region “has complied” and “is ready”, while “businesses and every around 18,000 jobs are lost each week. “
DIFFERENT EVOLUTION ACCORDING TO REGIONS
The evolution of the pandemic is different in the different Spanish regions, and therefore, according to the Government, the de-escalation is also being asymmetric.
While the Community of Madrid and Catalonia accumulate almost two thirds of the deceased in the last 24 hours and 200 of the 549 new cases, other regions such as the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands recorded less than ten new cases each and none died since yesterday. .
Going to phase 1 involves opening the small shop without an appointment, opening terraces with limited capacity, opening libraries, museums or places of worship, but also with limited capacity and reuniting with family members.
For the regions that have not succeeded, from next week it will be possible to open retail trade without an appointment, libraries and museums and places of worship, although with limited capacity.
THE RISK OF REBOUND IS POSSIBLE
Dr. Fernando Simón warned this Friday that “the risk of a coronavirus outbreak with an impact similar to that which we have had in many parts of Spain is possible”, since immunity is only 5%.
According to the latest official data from the Ministry of Health, the number of deaths with coronavirus fell in the last 24 hours to 138 after the rebound on Thursday, bringing it to 27,459; however, the number of infections has risen slightly to 549 and has risen to a total of 230,183 since the start of the pandemic.
In the increase in cases of the last days, the health professionals figure as an outstanding group, which already total 50,455 in all of Spain since the start of the pandemic.
QUARANTINE FOR TRAVELERS ARRIVING FROM ABROAD
To try to prevent outbreaks from abroad, from this Friday all travelers arriving in Spain from abroad will have to keep a quarantine of 14 days.
All travelers must remain at their home or accommodation and will have to limit their travel to essential purchases, assistance to health services or to causes of force majeure.
All movements will be made with a mask and must observe all hygiene measures and prevention of the transmission of the disease caused by the coronarivus.
Cross-border workers, carriers and crews, as well as health professionals who are going to carry out their work, are excepted from these measures, provided they have not been in contact with people diagnosed with coronavirus.
In addition, from tomorrow, arrival by plane is limited to five airports (Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Palma de Mallorca and Gran Canaria) and eight ports (Barcelona, Bilbao, Malaga, Vigo, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Tenerife).
This measure will have consequences for tourism, one of the main engines of the Spanish economy, which contributes 12.3% to the national GDP.
–
