AN APPLICATION has been approved for the whole of Barcelona and Lleida provinces to move onto 'Phase 3' – the last of the four 'Phases' between lockdown and 'New Normality' – meaning only the Greater Madrid region and part of Castilla y León remains on 'Phase 2'.
Whilst 'Phase' changes normally happen the Monday after they are approved on the Wednesday or Thursday, in this case, the adjustments will be effective from tomorrow (Thursday, June 18).
Madrid was the worst-hit part of Spain during the Covid-19 pandemic, with its health service in chaos and the condition out of control – compared with towns out in the provinces and on the coast with only a handful of cases, if any – but the hefty restrictions the capital and its wider region have been under appear to be working, with contagion numbers plummeting and the death toll falling constantly.
As a result, the ministry of health agreed two weeks ago that the region could switch to 'Phase 2', but does not yet consider it ready to make the leap to 'Phase 3', which allows all shops, bars and business premises to open, subject to reduced numbers – between 50% and 75% - and permits residents to travel outside their province, but not their region.
In the case of Madrid, 'Phase 3' would not extend travel freedom in any case, since as yet, nobody is allowed outside their region, only their province, and Madrid only has one of these.
Four provinces in the centre-northern region of Castilla y León – those of Salamanca, Ávila, Soria and Segovia – remain on 'Phase 2'.
In Catalunya, the Barcelona metropolitan area and the two health departments of Alt Pirineu and the Arán Valley in the province of Lleida remained on 'Phase 2' last week whilst the rest of the region was on 'Phase 3', but from Monday, the whole of Catalunya will be on 'Phase 3'.
Once on this final 'Phase', regional governments have the power to restrict travel between their provinces if they wish – although as yet, only Extremadura has done so, for the first week, and has now lifted these limits – and are also permitted to unilaterally decide to call a halt to the State of Alarm which the whole country has been in since March 16.
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