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ARCHIVED - Spanish government discussing gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions
A two-phase process is under consideration lasting until at least the end of the year
It seems to be becoming ever clearer that the intention of the Spanish government is to extend the coronavirus state of emergency until at least 11th May, adding another fortnight to the current restrictions on movement (and possibly another extension until the 26th May has already been mooted by some regional leaders), before then possibly beginning a two-phase relaxation of the lockdown during the rest of 2020. However, there has been no formal announcement that the PM has scheduled a discussion for a second extension in May to be formalised yet, contrary to reports in expat social media, although Congress is reportedly scheduling a debate for the 22nd April to discuss an extension until 11th May.
There was a great deal of comment on social media on Monday about reports in the UK media that the Spanish government had “relaxed its lockdown restrictions”, a statement all of us living here under lockdown at the moment know to be completely inaccurate. Certainly the decision to allow some non-essential workers to resume work constitutes an evolution in the Covid-19 conditions, but is NOT a relaxation in the lockdown restrictions, as was widely pointed out by the expat community here.
However, the Spanish media is full of stories about the potential intentions of the Spanish government as it examines the latest data which has added weight to the theory that the peak of the pandemic in Spain may be passing, and is actively discussing the project of “de-escalation” of the lockdown as and when it becomes possible. This is a particularly difficult topic to address given the uncertainty over the future and the risk of a second wave of contagion, and indeed in Wuhan (China), where restrictions on movement are now being lifted and shops are being allowed to re-open, some reports are that it is even harder to end a lockdown than it is to enforce one in the first place!
In this context the government is already studying ways in which the de-escalation of restrictions could be approached, with the first phase possibly taking place in June and July. During this initial phase there would still be some restriction on movement and travel, and at this stage it cannot be discounted that there could be more freedom in some parts of the country than in others.
But at the moment this is all just speculation, and sensationalist headlines in the Britpress should be taken with a very large pinch of salt as they themselves simply don´t know and are doing nothing more than desperately trying to lure you onto their webpages so they can boost their traffic with ridiculous headlines!!!!!
There is speculation that a limited return to normality may occur, for example, in the Balearic and Canary Islands, where numbers of cases reported by the health authorities on Monday were just 21 and 14 respectively, although on Tuesday the Minister for the Interior appeared less than enthusiastic about the possibility.
At the same time, the phone tagging scheme announced by the government would go ahead, although other details are now being looked into by a working committee headed by Teresa Ribera, the Minister for Ecological Transition, and Cabinet secretary Félix Bolaños. It is envisaged that a “new normality” may be established, depending on how the pandemic develops and persists over the rest of this year and how the resources of the health service recover from the strain of the last two months.
But Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has warned that no return to “full normality” will be possible until Covid-19 dies out or a vaccine is made widely available, and for example it will not be until the second phase of de-escalation that bars and restaurants will be allowed to re-open. In anticipation of this, some political groups are already demanding specific help for those in this sector of the economy, and of course even when hostelries do open for business again it is hard to imagine that people will wish to frequent them as often as they did until the middle of March until they are certain that it is safe to do so.
The media is full of conflicting reports about the development of a vaccine, and although scientists around the world are working flat out to try and develop a vaccine and find a cure for Covid-19, a period of testing must follow the successful development of an effective vaccine. Realistically, how many months will this take?
This scenario makes it probable that the ERTE temporary employment registration schemes which have been registered since mid-March could be extended for far longer than the state of emergency itself and there is no doubt that there will be a period of brutal economic adjustment and recession following the successful eradication of the virus.
In terms of travel restrictions, government sources have already indicated that medium and long-distance journeys will not be allowed at first, while the re-opening of international borders will be decided upon in the light of future developments.
It is hard to envisage how travel restrictions could possibly be lifted when examining the situation here in the Murcia region for example: many of our holiday homes are owned by families from Madrid or the other major cities of Spain which have the highest number of cases. Murcia has the lowest number of cases in mainland Spain. How will our government react to the prospect of families from Madrid moving en-masse to the coastal areas of Murcia when there is even the slightest risk that they may bring the virus with them and re-infect the local population??? The logical answer is that it is simply not going to happen until the government is absolutely convinced that there are no live cases in Spain and therefore no risk to the local population.
It must also be taken into consideration that the Spanish government will be extremely reluctant to open its borders to international travellers who may bring the virus into the country again even when Spain has succeeded in eradicating it from this country. After what will be probably be two full months of lockdown, or maybe more, the government will be reluctant to take any risks that the virus could be spread across the country once again. Being realistic, is the government going to allow aircraft full of passengers from the UK to land here and spread across its coastal regions when there are still live cases in the UK?????
But even if the peak of coronavirus infection in Spain has indeed passed, the way of life in this country for the rest of this year will be a very unfamiliar one indeed. It is hard to predict with any degree of certainty when schools might re-open and in what condition, or whether during the summer the beaches will be empty, or when people will feel confident about sitting in a café or bar and watching the world go by.
We have already been told by our government that no restrictions can be lifted until a ready supply of masks is available for everyone, but at the moment this is simply not possible. Our government has promised that some masks will be available in pharmacies this week, but realistically, millions will need to be manufactured and freely available BEFORE any restrictions can be lifted.
The lockdown will not be completely over for many, many months.
As much as we all want it to be over, we have to accept that Covid-19 will restrict our lives for many months to come.
Image: Pedro Sánchez
Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
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Our local area groups are as follows. These are designed to filter locally specific information and may be used by clubs, charities, any of the businesses who work with us to ensure information is available to residents in English and for those living in the specific areas. They are not buy and sell groups, do not accept any bickering or argumentative so and so's, are not "open for any old rubbish" pages, and are not trying to compete with your local comunity groups, they are specifically for sharing good, relevant local information and we hope you will use them for that during this difficult time.
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)
Mar Menor news, events and local info. Click to join (this includes all the Mar Menor municipalities and Cartagena)
North-west Murcia: Bullas, Mula, Cehegin, Caravaca, Cieza, Calasparra, Jumilla, Moratalla info. Click to join
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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