ARCHIVED - Covid restrictions relaxed in much of Spain despite warnings of a potential fourth wave
Regional governments ignore repeated pleas for caution from the Ministry of Health
So great is the desire for a semblance of normality to be re-introduced to daily life in Spain that in spite of the repeated warnings that caution is required in maintaining restrictions on socializing and travel in order to avoid a potential fourth wave of Covid-19 contagion, at least half of the 17 regional governments are already allowing people a greater degree of freedom as the month of February comes to its end.
It is only a month since the third wave reached its peak and the strain on hospitals and health services remains extreme as entire wards and units are reserved for Covid patients, but at least 8 Autonomous Communities have announced less strict measures as the infection rates continue to fall. This has raised hopes that inter-regional travel bans could be lifted by the time the Easter holidays start at the end of March, potentially bringing about a partial reactivation of the tourism sector, but of course at the same time it increases the risk that by that time infection rates could be rising again.
It appears that many regional governments have no longer been able to ignore the calls from businesses – particularly bars and restaurants – and members of the public for some relief from the forced closures over recent months. In Madrid it has been decided that the night-time curfew will continue to be in force from 22.00 to 6.00 for at least another two weeks – although in Catalunya the anticipated relaxation of some restrictions has been postponed due to a slight increase in infection rates shown by the latest data, but other administrations seem unwilling to heed the warnings or to risk unpopularity.
Even in Catalunya the government has announced that after two months with their doors closed shopping malls will be allowed to re-open partially (although not at weekends), while in Castilla-La Mancha it is the intention to shorten the curfew and allow inter-regional travel, becoming the first region to do so apart from Madrid and Extremadura since the end of the Christmas holidays.
Meanwhile, in Aragón the start of the curfew is being put back from 22.00 to 23.00 and social gatherings of up to 6 people are to be allowed as fewer restrictions are placed on bars and restaurants, and in Galicia Friday sees the partial reopening of hostelries and the resumption of travel between the 313 municipalities with just 10 exceptions.
Even in Murcia, where the regional minister for Health generally urges caution, the number of people allowed to meet has been raised to four and outdoor bar and restaurant terraces are permitted to open in 43 of the 45 municipalities.
Similarly, in the Comunidad Valenciana, one of the regions to suffer most severely during the third wave, outdoor terraces are now allowed to open and after this weekend it is expected that almost all municipal boundaries will be open, allowing greater movement.
In Andalucia only 51 municipalities are now confined, and borders re-open at midnight on Friday in the remainder across all eight provinces of the region.