ARCHIVED - Bar and restaurant opening hours extended to 10 pm in the region of Valencia as restrictions ease
The Comunidad Valenciana begins to relax restrictions which have contributed to the lowest Covid incidence rate in Spain
Since the end of the Christmas and New Year holidays it would appear that the anti-Covid measures adopted by the regional government in the Comunidad Valenciana have met with more success than those enforced anywhere else in Spain, resulting in the region having consistently reported the lowest incidence rate in the country for the last five weeks, and in consequence it has been decided that the situation is now sufficiently under control for a few of the restrictions to be relaxed.
On Thursday Ximo Puig, the president of the regional government, announced that shop, bar and restaurant opening times are to be extended until a maximum of 22.00, coinciding with the start of the night-time curfew, with the new rules coming into force on Monday 26th April. Outdoor terraces may be fully occupied, while the maximum allowed indoors will remain at 30 per cent of capacity for the time being.
For cultural venues such as cinemas, theatres and auditoriums the limit is raised to 75 per cent of capacity, while for celebrations and ceremonies it is raised from 30 to 50 per cent.
All other restrictive measures, including the ban on travelling into or out of the region without adequate justification, remain in place for the next fortnight until 9th May, the day on which the 6-month national state of emergency comes to an end.
Resuming his stance regarding the restrictions, Sr Puig states that the region of Valencia has “done its homework”, and asks citizens for a “last great effort” while the level of vaccination and immunization within the community continues to rise. Over a million people in the Comunidad Valenciana have so far received at least one vaccine dose, and over the course of the last month the number of Covid patients in hospitals in the region has been halved.
There are also no cases at all in any of the care homes or residencias of the region.