A BIT of freedom for residents and respite for bar-owners and restaurateurs is on its way in the southern region of Andalucía – as from tomorrow (Thursday) a relaxing of restrictions has been announced.
Gatherings of up to six people will now be permitted, in private homes or on bar terraces – an increase on the previous limit of four – even where they are from different households and not in 'support bubbles'.
Inside cafés and eateries, groups of a maximum of four are allowed.
Although the curfew remains at the usual times, of between 22.00 and 06.00, shops, bars and restaurants are now permitted to stay open until 21.30, in line with popular request.
These measures only apply in towns on no more than risk level 2, with lower incidences of Covid contagion, but the regional minister for health and the family, Jesús Aguirre, says this encompasses a 'very large percentage' of Andalucía's territory.
Towns with their borders shut and only essential trade in operation are, broadly, those with more than 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, or at least 0.5% of their population.
At the moment, only 28 municipalities in the region fall into this category, compared with 51 as at the beginning of this week – at least a quarter of those above the 0.5% rate being in the province of Sevilla.
Here, the incidence has risen above 500 cases in every 100,000 this week in Alanís, El Garrobo, Lora del Río, Tocina, Los Molares, and Montellano, although only the town of El Castillo de las Guardas has more than 1,000 cases per 100,000 residents, or above 1% of the population.
The 'case ratio' does not apply, for restriction purposes, to villages with 1,500 or fewer inhabitants, as the measures could turn out to be disproportionate – as an example, in a municipality with 600 residents, it would only take three people to test positive for the 500-per-100,000 limit to be reached.
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