Spain to Lift Coronavirus Lockdown in 4 Phases by End-June
Spain is already in “phase zero” of winding down the lockdown, Prime Minister Sanchez has declared.
The world’s third hardest hit country in the world from the coronavirus pandemic, Spain, is going to return to normal by the end of June by gradually removing the lockdown measures.
Since March 14, Spain has had one of the most severe lockdowns in the world.
Nearly 24,000 people have died in Spain from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, the third highest death toll after the United States and Italy.
On Tuesday, the Spanish authorities announced 301 new fatalities from the coronavirus in the preceding 24-hour period, registering the fifth day in a row with fewer than 400 deaths.
The coronavirus outbreak in Spain is believed to have peaked on April 2 when a total of 950 people passed away.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Tuesday that the government was going to do away with the restrictions in four phase by the end of June.
The plan was made public after the Cabinet met for several hours earlier during the day.
“In the best-case scenario, this de-escalation phase will take a minimum of six weeks and the maximum duration we want to see is eight weeks for the whole of Spain,” Sanchez said, as cited by AFP.
“By the end of June, we as a country will have entered into the new normality if the epidemic remains under control,” he added.
The Spanish leader also noted that the country already entered into a preparatory “phase zero” for winding down the lockdown.
The zero phase is going to last until May 11, when phase one will kick in. It will provide for allowing small shops, hotels, restaurants and places of worship to open in a limited fashion.
Sanchez said the four phases did not have fixed dates as each phase was to last no more than two weeks, and to be evaluated on a weekly basis.
On Sunday, for the first time in six weeks, children in Spain were allowed to go out but only for one hour per day, accompanied by a parent, and no further than one kilometer from their home.
The Spanish Prime Minister also said that as of May 2, the rest of the population will be allowed to go out for walks or exercise.
(Banner image: TV grab from Spanish government)
