51% of Spain will recover probation on Monday

USPA NEWS - Spain will celebrate a great state funeral for the victims of the Coronavirus, presided over by King Felipe VI, as soon as the whole country recovers normality after the pandemic. This was announced this Saturday by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, in a televised appearance to present the new phase of the unconfinement plan that will begin on Monday, May 11. 51% of the Spanish population will go to this new phase, in which it will be possible to move between different cities within the same province, up to ten people will be allowed to meet on the streets and retail stores will be opened.

The Official State Gazette (BOE, Spanish acronym) published this Saturday the measures related to the application of phase 1 of the 'Plan for the transition to a new normality' in Spain, as well as the territories in which they will be applied. The text relaxes the social measures for the containment of the disease in the territories that the Minister of Health, Salvador Illa, announced on Friday, after analyzing the proposals of the regional authorities and meeting bilaterally with each of the counselors of Health.

In these areas it will be possible to move around the province, island or territorial unit of reference, always respecting the safety and hygiene measures, as well as maintaining the minimum safety distance of at least two meters, in groups of a maximum of ten people, although this limit will not apply between cohabitants. In the wake, a maximum of 15 people may be in the open air or 10 in closed spaces, whether or not they live together at the same address. A maximum of 15 people may attend the burials, always respecting the safety and hygiene measures.

Attendance at places of worship will also be allowed as long as it does not exceed a third of its capacity and safety and hygiene measures are respected. People must wear a mask and spaces must be disinfected beforehand. The use of blessed water or ritual ablutions, among other measures, will not be allowed.

Retail commerce

Retail stores may open if they have an area of less than 400 square meters. The maximum capacity limit will be 30%, respecting the minimum distance of two meters between clients, and they can establish a priority service schedule for people over 65 years of age. In the case of automotive dealerships, vehicle technical inspection stations and garden centers and nurseries, they may open whatever their surface, although they must do so by appointment.

Municipalities are also allowed to reopen open-air markets. They must respect the safety distance, limit the number of authorized posts to 25% and reduce their flow to less than a third of the usual capacity.

The order establishes a series of common hygiene measures for premises open to the public, such as cleaning and disinfecting facilities at least twice a day, maintaining adequate ventilation, and daily washing and disinfecting of work clothes. It also limits the use of the elevator or forklift and the use of the toilets by customers, among others.

In the case of services that do not allow the maintenance of the interpersonal safety distance, such as hairdressing salons, beauty centers or physical therapy, the two-meter distance between clients must be maintained and the appropriate protective equipment must be used according to the level of risk. that ensures the protection of the worker and the client.

Terraces open

The order also includes the reopening of the hotel and restaurant terraces, limiting the tables allowed to half those of last year. In addition, the minimum interpersonal distance of 2 meters must be guaranteed. At each table or group of tables there may be at most 10 people, although this limit does not apply in the event that all of them reside in the same address. Among the hygiene measures, the use of single-use tablecloths will be prioritized, self-service products will be eliminated and the use of cards in common use, among others, will be avoided.

The order also includes measures that will be applied throughout the territory. This is the case of a modification of the time slots. After requests from various regions for the increase in temperatures, they are allowed to modify the departure times of children under 14 years of age. They can establish that it starts up to two hours before or ends up to two hours later, always maintaining the total duration of said strip. This will affect, therefore, the rest of the time slots, which may be advanced up to two hours and end up to two hours later. As until now, the time slots will not apply to populations of up to 5,000 inhabitants, where activities are allowed from 6:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

As for hotels and tourist establishments, their catering services will be for the exclusive use of their clients. The use of spas, gyms, mini clubs, children's areas, discotheques and event rooms, among other services, is prohibited. For these establishments, the order also establishes specific hygiene measures.

It will allow congresses, meetings, events and seminars in the field of scientific and technical research, development and innovation, which may never exceed the attendance of 30 people. To do this, remote participation will be encouraged. Attendees must guarantee the interpersonal security distance of two meters and, when this is not possible, will ensure that they have the necessary protection means.

The state of alarm "works and is showing that it is very effective," Pedro Sánchez said, reiterating that only with it in hand can fundamental rights such as mobility and assembly be restricted. "We are already in different states of alarm," he said before assuring that the Government will lift him "as soon as possible." Meanwhile, "we have an arduous task, but if we channel all the collective energy into reconstruction, we will leave sooner," said the Prime Minister, before affirming that the great lesson of the crisis is the need to "strengthen public services." In this sense, he stated that "there are no hands left, we need everyone to rebuild the future."

"Now we have to tackle the reconstruction", added the president, including among the tasks to face a reform of the fiscal system, the strengthening of the educational and health system, and the ecological transition. For this reason he asked for collaboration and unity from the parliamentary forces so that they work together in the Commission for Reconstruction and announced a parallel table with the social partners with the aim of trying to reach a pact in the field of the labor market. Pedro Sánchez emphasized that Spain will not ask for a ransom from the European Union.