Spain has embarked on the “desescalada”, the deconfinement plan which will be divided into 4 phases. From this Monday, May 18th, certain regions which were still in phase 0 will pass into phase 1 of the deconfinement plan, authorizing certain activities and businesses to resume. The others are still in phase 0, like Barcelona or Madrid, and will have to reapply next week. Some Spanish islands will have the chance to go into phase 2. Lisbob, the expatriate assistant, tells you everything that is changing this Monday, May 18 in Spain.
Discover the zones that go into phase 1 and 2 in Spain this Monday, Madrid and Barcelona still in phase 0
The Spanish Minister of Health Salvador Illa announced this Friday which territories will move to phase 1 of the “desescalada” and which ones will remain in phase 0 from Monday, May 18. Although they asked to move to the next phase, the executive rejected the request from the Community of Madrid.
On the islands side, those of Formentera, La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa go into phase 2. Part of the territory of Castilla y León will also remain in phase 0. For Catalonia, everyone will go into phase 1 except the city of Barcelona. For its part, the region of Valencia, which had been unpleasantly surprised last week, is fully entering phase 1 of the Spanish deconfinement plan.
Andalusia already had six provinces in phase one: now Malaga and Granada join them. Castilla-La Mancha passes Toledo, Ciudad Real and Albacete. The situation in Castilla y León is more complicated: the autonomous region has proposed a “desescalada” by health zones. This new week, the region proposed 42 health zones, in addition to the 26 that were already in phase 1.
In total, 30% of the Spanish population (14 million people) remain in phase 0 and will have to wait a little longer before being eased by the containment measures introduced by the government of Pedro Sanchez.
In the provinces which pass to phase 1 it will be possible to buy without appointment, to go on the terraces of bars and restaurants (with a capacity reduced to 50%) and to meet in groups of 10 people maximum, always respecting the physical distance from safety. The regions which will go into phase 1 will be for 14 days. It is the time necessary to know whether the relaxation of the measures has caused an increase in cases or outbreaks. "If things progressed positively, those who remain in the 0 will be able to request it again as soon as they meet the conditions.
The ministerial decree sets a deadline of one week to respond to these requests. In the new phase, timetables for physical activity will continue to apply, although communities can adapt them to their characteristics. Some have asked for changes so that children do not have to go out during the hottest parts of the day. But citizens can meet at any time to go to friends or family, or to meet on the terrace or outside.
The possibility of control is now practically impossible, as Illa recognized: “You have to appeal to individual responsibility. All caution is required in complex and unprecedented decisions that require social discipline more than ever. "
