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article_detail
Date Published: 06/04/2020
ARCHIVED - The return to normality after coronavirus will be drawn-out and gradual in Spain
No dates can yet be set regarding the resumption of normal life
While the Spanish government has announced that the coronavirus emergency lockdown is to be prolonged until at least 26th April it has also been stated that after the date the restrictions which have made normal life impossible throughout the country since mid-March will be gradually lifted, leading to much speculation regarding what activities might be allowed by the beginning of May.
The first thing to point out, of course, is that any lifting of restrictions must be conditional on reductions being achieved in the numbers of new cases of Covid-19 reported and associated fatalities. There have been signs over the weekend that the upward curve in the propagation of the virus may be being halted and that a plateau is being reached, but the numbers of people dying from the virus are still well over 600 per day and further improvement will be needed before any relaxation of the restrictions is confirmed.
Even if the efforts to contain the spread of the pandemic do prove successful, the first point to make is that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has warned that after 25th April the state of emergency will doubtless continue, although with the introduction of more leniency in the restrictions. A date for the resumption of “normal everyday life” has not and cannot be set, and Sr Sánchez has stated that complete normality cannot be contemplated until a vaccine becomes available.
But the transition towards normality can at least be contemplated, and it is within this framework that speculation is rife. The first step will be made next week when the two-week closure of all “non-essential” economic activity comes to an end after the long Easter weekend, with employees beginning to work back the hours for which they have been paid over the last fortnight without going to work.
In terms of the resumption of other activities, some of the questions uppermost in the minds of Spaniards are the following:
When can we go for a walk or play sport?
As in all cases related to leisure activities, nothing is certain at present but it will almost certainly not be before 26th April. After that the government may permit certain activities but with the wearing of facemasks obligatory, and this in turn will depend on such masks becoming widely available – this is definitely not the case at the moment.
When will employees be allowed to go back to work?
It seems probable that working from home will be encouraged wherever possible beyond 26th April, although a gradual return to work will begin, in theory at least, as of Monday 13th April when the shutdown of non-essential economic activity has ended.
Certain sectors such as restaurants and locations offering leisure activities are likely to remain closed past this date although as stated above, everything depends on the evolution of the virus.
When will pupils return to school?
As recently as a month ago few people in Spain entertained the possibility that the rest of the school year might have to be cancelled, but that is now a distinct possibility in the eyes of some.
Isabel Celáa, the Minister for Education, has repeated her assurances that “nobody will miss the rest of the year”, but it remains the case that students at Spanish schools may not go back to class until June. In reality this would mean them returning to the classroom for no more than a few weeks at most as the academic year finishes before the end of July, and with the Easter holidays now under way teachers are struggling to find ways of ensuring that all of the required contents can be covered before the start of the long summer holiday.
When will bars and restaurants open?
Most representatives of the sector take it for granted that theirs will be among the last establishments allowed to resume normal activity. As Pedro Sánchez has warned, social habits such as popping out for a drink will not truly return to normal until a Covid-19 vaccine is available, and barflies and restaurant lovers should prepare themselves for a long period of home cooking and well-stocked fridges before they can re-visit their local haunts.
The real answer to the above questions and many others is that at the moment no-one knows, and that with hundred of people still dying every day in Spain this will remain the case for some time.
Any timeframe imagined is little more than hypothetical, and it must also be assumed that many activities will take some time to return to normality. For example, schools may re-open but there is a likelihood that if they do so sooner rather than later many parents could refuse to allow their children to attend, and even when bars and restaurants are permitted to open for business it will be some time before their customers feel able to return without any concerns for their health.
Remember: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN. STAY AT HOME. STAY SAFE AND DO YOUR BIT TO REDUCE THE SPREAD OF CORONAVIRUS.
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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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Urbanisations
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Islas Menores and Mar de Cristal
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Mar Menor Golf Resort
Mazarron Country Club
Mosa Trajectum
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Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
La Zenia
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