Sánchez sets out de-escalation plan for “new normality” by end-June

On Tuesday evening (28.04.20), Prime Minister Sánchez set out the Spanish government’s plan for de-escalation of coronavirus restrictions.
He said that the transition will be gradual, asymmetric (therefore different according to region) and coordinated. There will be a “gradual recovery by phases for which the unit will be the province or the island”; there will be no movement between provinces or islands.
In Phase 0, there will, for example, be takeaway from restaurants with prior appointment; individual training for professional athletes and professional leagues.
In Phase 1, certain activities will be allowed to start, such as small retailers under strict security conditions, but not shopping centres. Terraces will be opened with an occupancy of 30% and there will be preferential hours for people over 65. Hotels can open with restrictions and avoiding common areas; places of worship with a capacity of one third; the opening of high-performance centres and training for professional leagues. Face masks for public transport will be recommended.
In Phase 2, restaurants will open at 30% occupancy; schools will open for refresher activities or for children under six if the parents work (they will fully open in September); cultural facilities with a third of capacity; shows with fewer than 50 people in closed environments or 400 outdoors; and places of worship will raise their capacity to 50%.
In Phase 3 in the commercial sector, capacity will be limited to 50%. Restrictions on restaurants and mobility will be relaxed.
Each phase will have a minimum duration of two weeks. In the best case, the transition will have a minimum duration of six weeks, one and a half months - a maximum of eight weeks for the whole of Spain. By the end of June we will be at a situation of the “new normality”.
On 4 May, Phase 0 will start. Gomera, El Hierro, Graciosa and Formentera will be at the forefront of the de-escalation for a few days, starting with phase 1. On 11 May, all provinces that meet the requirements will pass to Phase 1. “We will not all advance at the same speed, but with the same rules.”
At the conclusion of the three phases, each province will have adapted to the new normality. Social and economic restrictions will end, but epidemiological surveillance and hygiene measures will continue. The de-escalation will be asymmetric.
“We are planning a horizon of between six and eight weeks. The state of alarm has been used to stop the Covid-19, and we shall be proposing a further 15-day extension.
“Following last Sunday’s experience, the health ministry is studying the possibility of scheduling when people can go out. We will give more specific details in a few days.”
Additional detail: The prime minister said that it will not be possible during Phase 0 to go to a friend or relative’s home, suggesting that this will be the case by Phase 1. Travel from one province to another will not be possible until the situation of new normality is reached, i.e. by the end of June. But there will be the earlier possibility for this in the event of a death in the family. Thanks a lot for the article to Mallorca Daily Bulletin.