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ARCHIVED - Spain prolongs state of emergency until at least 9th May
The de-escalation of confinement will be slow and gradual, warns Pedro Sánchez
The Spanish government succeeded on Wednesday in securing support in Congress for an extension of the state of emergency until at least 9th May, but not without Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez first having to endure fierce criticism from his political opponents concerning the way in which the coronavirus pandemic has been handled.
Among the critics were the PP party, who demanded that a national state of mourning should be declared now that the Covid-19 death toll stands at well over 21,000, and the Basque and Catalan nationalist parties, some of whose representatives were keen to highlight what they perceive as inconsistencies in the restrictions imposed on the population during lockdown. Gabrial Rufián of the Catalan ERC party talked of a “perverse balance between health and the economy” in the government’s priorities, pointing out that “you cannot go to a funeral but you can go to work on the metro; an adult can go to buy tobacco but a child can’t go out to play”.
The debate came a day after the rapid government U-turn which eventually resulted in the announcement that children will be allowed out of their homes for the first time in 6 weeks this coming weekend (under certain conditions), and Sr Sánchez recognized that there will be more “rectifications” as policies are necessarily adapted to changes in the situation not only in the country as a whole but also in individual regions. The de-escalation of confinement will be “slow and gradual”, he warned, while not ruling out the possibility of more backward steps and reversals.
However, he also expressed confidence that in the second half of May life will begin in the “new normality” of Spain.
Sr Sánchez’s recognition of government mistakes was even more clearly underlined by Pablo Iglesias, the leader of Unidas Podemos and second deputy President of the coalition government, who stated “we have got things wrong and we will continue to do so”, but opposition parties are understandably unimpressed by what they describe as “incompetence”. In the light of this, if the Prime Minister calls for another two-week extension of the state of emergency to take it into late May it appears that he may find it difficult to garner sufficient support in parliament for the prolongation to be approved.
The likelihood appears to be, though, that by then significant relaxations of the confinement rules will be feasible, particularly in the regions of the Canaries, Murcia and La Rioja. These are the regions where the resources of the health services are least stretched at present, and if the pandemic continues to wane it is expected by many analysts that the “new normality” mentioned by the Prime Minister will be experienced first by those living in them.
What sequence of relaxations in the rules might be followed is uncertain, and there are different precedents in different countries. In Norway nursery schools have re-opened, in Denmark hairdressers and dentists are back in business and in Italy bookshops have opened their doors again, while in France and Germany there is already an expectation that schools will re-open in May. But most experts recognize that some measures may have to be re-introduced if there is a resurgence in cases of Covid-19, and that shops which re-open may have to be prepared to close down again if the situation worsens.
As for bars and restaurants, the outlook is even less clear: tables can be placed further apart in order to encourage social distancing, but this may been it not being viable for hostelries to open, and there must also be doubts over whether members of the public would feel confident about using them.
For the time being, though, the period of confinement has been prolonged for another two weeks, as everyone supposed it would, and with the daily Covid-19 death toll still fluctuating between 400 and 500 in Spain few would argue with the wisdom of the extension. Children are to be allowed out of their homes as of the weekend, but the remainder of the lockdown restrictions remain in place and the need to abide by them is as clear as ever:
LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
Top image: Proceedings in Congress are interrupted at 20.00 as the few MPs in attendance applaud health and medical workers
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Around Mazarrón news, events and local info: Click to join
Mazarrón, Fuente Álamo, Águilas, Lorca, Totana, Puerto Lumbreras, Camposol, Alhama de Murcia. Click to join (all within a half hour drive of each other)
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What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus
The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212) if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre.
Sensible precautions
The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:
- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel
- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!
- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity
- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands
- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell
- Don´t panic!
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