'Gradual' easing of quarantine to begin in second half of May, says Sánchez

The second half of May will see the start of a "slow and gradual" de-escalation of quarantine restrictions in Spain, with coronavirus measures to be imposed and lifted "depending on how the pandemic behaves in each territory," says Spanish president Pedro Sánchez.

Speaking on Wednesday morning, Sánchez said that during this period, the health ministry will have the power to increase or ease quarantine restrictions in each case. "We will not run the risk," he said before promising that his executive would not take "false steps."

With regard to children, Sánchez added that this weekend the health authorities will issue an order establishing the conditions under which children under 14 will be able to leave the home for a walk from Sunday April 26 for the first time in almost 40 days.

Sánchez was addressing the Spanish parliament in a third appearance asking for an extension of the state of alarm, this time until May 9, and the president stressed the "positive trend" in Spain "that indicates we are flattening the contagion curve."

Sánchez said that what is needed in this new phase is for everyone infected with Covid-19 to be identified through testing, "total control" over places with the highest risk of infection, and a "system monitoring people from other areas to prevent imported infections."

U-turn on children leaving home

The decision to let children under 14 out for a walk from Sunday comes after the government had initially hinted that children would only be allowed to "accompany adults doing activities permitted during the state of alarm, such as trips to the supermarket or pharmacy."

That initial statement had drawn criticism from the Catalan government, which has proposed allowing children to go to parks and areas with gardens - but not playgrounds - for up to two hours a day, with minors to be allotted time slots according to their age group.

As for staggering the easing of home quarantine measures depending on the situation in each territory in Spain, Sánchez's government will charge the health ministry with deciding the extent of the restrictions, where people can go, and what they can do there.

The Spanish president again appealed for unity in dealing with the crisis and called on all parties to support the further extension of the state of alarm, but added that it is the first time the government has done so in the face of a "moderately optimistic scenario."