People to be allowed exercise on the street from May 2, pandemic evolution permitting

Residents of Spain will be allowed out of their homes to do exercise on the street from May 2, evolution of the coronavirus pandemic permitting. 

The Socialist leader made the announcement in a press briefing on Saturday evening, in which he said “the reduction of transmissions is the first victory, albeit modest.” 

The Spanish president celebrated that before the state of alarm measures were brought in, the daily infection rate was “35%” and now it’s “1.15%.”

Sánchez rejects staggered leaving times

The PSOE figurehead also rejected Catalan president Quim Torra’s calls for a staggered timetable in allowing minors leave the home, which they will be allowed to do as of Sunday, April 26. “The order from the ministry regarding when minors can leave the house is clear, and it must be followed in Catalonia and throughout the territory."

Up to three children under 14 years of age accompanied by an adult will be allowed to leave the house for one hour a day, between 9 am and 9 pm, as of Sunday. 

With the aim of avoiding crowds and large groupings of people, Torra called on families with children from 6-11 years old to leave the house between 11 am and 1 pm in a public address on Saturday afternoon, while asking older children and teenagers to leave later in the day, from 4 pm to 6 pm. 

The Spanish government announced last Tuesday evening that children could go out for walks and do exercise in a U-turn of what had been announced earlier that day. 

De-escalation of lockdown measures

Sánchez said that the de-escalation of lockdown measures will be “gradual” and “always by following the World Health Organization guidelines.”

“We will not recover all mobility at once, but it will be in stages,” the Spanish president argued. “For the reopening of restaurants, shops, as with the tourism and sports sectors. We will undertake this second stage together with all the regional and local authorities."

Sánchez explained that activities will return to some form of normality in different stages, and lifting measures will depend on each region, “as the virus has grown differently across the country.”