Lifting of Covid-19 restrictions: a step-by-step guide

With Catalonia past the contagion peak of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, the government has laid out a four-step plan to gradually lift restrictions and resume activities over the coming months.

Catalonia entered Phase 1 on November 23. Every two weeks, health authorities will decide whether to move forward to the next phase based on epidemiological data—that is, as long as the Rt remains below 0.9 and hospitalization figures are declining.

After weeks under the harshest lockdown restrictions since last spring, businesses like bars and restaurants, cinemas, or gyms are able to reopen and progressively accommodate more and more people.

Here’s a step-by-step guide to the four phases.

Phase 1

6-people social gatherings

Local lockdown during the weekends, from Friday at 6 am to Monday at 6 am. Catalan borders closed to Spain and France, exceptions for work, health reasons, care of dependent relatives, and other essential tasks that must be properly documented.

Night lockdown from 10 pm to 6 am, exceptions for work, health reasons, care of dependent relatives, and other essential tasks that must be properly documented.

Remote work unless necessary

Education: in-person teaching for kindergarten, primary, and compulsory secondary education or ESO. Reduced face-to-face contact for non-compulsory secondary education or Batxillerat, as well as professional education. Online lectures for university students.

Extracurricular and leisure activities with a 6-people limit indoors.

Sports competitions suspended. Outdoor sports facilities open with a 50% capacity limit. Indoors facilities such as gyms open with a 30% cap, but dressing rooms shut (except for swimming pools). Six people limit applied to unlicensed outdoor sports.  

Stores open with a 30% capacity limit. Shopping malls shut. Hairdressing saloons, beauty parlors, and other businesses requiring close physical contact can open under tight safety measures and requiring appointment.

Culture: museums, libraries, and galleries open at 50% of its capacity, with a 500-people cap for cinemas, theaters, and music venues.

Bars and restaurants open from 6 am to 9:30 pm, with a 30% capacity limit indoors and no outdoor limitation. Four people maximum per table. Compulsory 2-meter safety distance between different groups. 

Religious ceremonies at 30% of its capacity.

Phase 2

6-people social gatherings

County-level lockdown during the weekends, from Friday at 6 am to Monday at 6 am. Catalan borders closed to Spain and France, exceptions for work, health reasons, care of dependent relatives, and other essential tasks that must be properly documented.

Night lockdown from 10 pm to 6 am, exceptions for work, health reasons, care of dependent relatives, and other essential tasks that must be properly documented.

Remote work unless necessary

Education: In-person teaching for kindergarten, primary, and compulsory secondary education or ESO. Reduced face-to-face contact for non-compulsory secondary education or Batxillerat, as well as professional education. Online lectures for university students.

Extracurricular and leisure activities with a 6-people limit indoors.

Sports competitions suspended. Sports facilities open with a 50% capacity limit, including gyms, but dressing rooms shut (except for swimming pools). Six people limit applied to unlicensed outdoor sports.  

Stores open with a 50% capacity limit. Shopping malls open with a 30% cap. Hairdressing salons, beauty parlors, and other businesses requiring close physical contact can open under tight safety measures and requiring appointment.

Culture: museums, libraries, and galleries open at 50% of its capacity, with a 70% cap and a 500-people limit for cinemas, theaters, and music venues.

Bars and restaurants open from 6 am to 9:30 pm, with a 50% capacity limit indoors and no outdoor limitation. Four people maximum per table. Compulsory 2-meter safety distance between different groups. 

Religious ceremonies at 30% of its capacity.

Phase 3

10-people social gatherings.

Catalan borders open and no mobility restrictions.

Night lockdown from 10 pm to 6 am, exceptions for work, health reasons, care of dependent relatives, and other essential tasks that must be properly documented.

Remote work unless necessary

Education: in-person teaching for kindergarten, primary, and compulsory secondary education or ESO. Reduced face-to-face contact for non-compulsory secondary education or Batxillerat, as well as professional education. Online lectures for university students.

Extracurricular and leisure activities with a 10-people limit indoors.

Sports competitions suspended. Outdoor sports facilities, gyms and swimming pools open with a 70% capacity limit. Indoors facilities open with a 50% cap. 

Stores open with a 50% capacity limit. Shopping malls open with a 30% cap. Hairdressing salons, beauty parlors, and other businesses requiring close physical contact can open under tight safety measures and requiring appointment.

Culture: museums, libraries, and galleries open at 70% of its capacity, with a 70% cap and a 500-people limit for cinemas, theaters, and music venues.

Bars and restaurants open from 6 am to 9:30 pm, with a 50% capacity limit indoors and no outdoor limitation. Four people maximum per table. Compulsory 2-meter safety distance between different groups. 

Religious ceremonies at 50% of its capacity.

Phase 4

10-people social gatherings.

Catalan borders open and no mobility restrictions.

Night lockdown from 10 pm to 6 am, exceptions for work, health reasons, care of dependent relatives, and other essential tasks that must be properly documented.

Remote work unless necessary

Education: in-person teaching for kindergarten, primary, and compulsory secondary education or ESO, non-compulsory secondary education or Batxillerat, as well as professional education. Online lectures for university students.

Extracurricular and leisure activities with no limits.

Sports competitions can resume. Outdoor sports facilities open with a 70% capacity limit, including gyms and swimming pools. Indoors facilities open with a 50% cap. 

Stores open with a 50% capacity limit. Shopping malls open with a 50% cap. Hairdressing salons, beauty parlors, and other businesses requiring close physical contact can open under tight safety measures and requiring appointment.

Culture: museums, libraries, and galleries open at 70% of its capacity, with a 70% cap and a 1,000-people limit for cinemas, theaters, and music venues.

Bars and restaurants open from 6 am to 9:30 pm, with a 50% capacity limit indoors and no outdoor limitation. Four people maximum per table. Compulsory 2-meter safety distance between different groups. 

Religious ceremonies at 50% of its capacity.

Here's Catalonia's plan to lift coronavirus restrictions