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COVID-19

Spain outlines new rules and time slots for leaving the house from May 2nd

The Spanish government has confirmed that from Saturday May 2nd, adults will be allowed to leave their home to take a walk outside or do some exercise.

Published: 30 April 2020 18:59 CEST
Spain outlines new rules and time slots for leaving the house from May 2nd
Photos: AFP

The latest lifting of restrictions comes after Spain has spent more than six weeks in lockdown under the strictest conditions imposed in Europe.

Children under the age of 14 were allowed out on the streets for the first time last Sunday and now it is the turn of adults too.

Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa unveiled the conditions in a televised press conference on Thursday evening.

These are the rules as outlined in that press conference:

From Saturday May 2nd, adults will be allowed to leave the home to take a walk or carry out exercise, on their own or with one other person from their own household, within their own municipality and within 1km of their home,  just once a day and for a maximum of one hour.

Time slots:

The minister stated that there would be a timetable with slots (known as franjas in Spanish) designated for different demographics.

Adults can walk outside between 6am and 10 am or between 8pm and 11pm

Those considered more vulnerable or who have to go outside with a carer, will be able to take a walk between 10 and 12 am and between 7pm and 8pm.

The over 70s are also encouraged to use this time slot to take their walk.

While children will be allowed outside between 12 and 7pm.

UPDATE: What you need to know about Spain's new rules for taking children outside during lockdown

 

Exception for small towns

The Health Minister did make an exception for those towns and villages which have a population of less than 5,000. Residents of these small municipalities will not have to observe a time table but can go out anytime within the hours of 6am and 11pm.

What activities are allowed?

Only those sporting activities that can be carried out individually are allowed at this stage. So walking, jogging, cycling, are all acceptable. Having a kick around with friends with playing a game of tennis are not.

Social distancing

During outings outside the home, Illa said strict social distancing must be observed – which means keeping a distance of 2metres between others. He also advised people to make sure they washed their hands when returning home and wearing a mask for activities where there was a risk of coming within 2 metres of someone else.

Symptoms? Stay at home!

He also said that those who have symptoms, or who have been in close contact with someone who has symptoms, should not leave the house. 

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HEALTH

Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Cases of viral respiratory infections such as flu, Covid and bronchitis have shot up over the past few weeks in Spain, putting an enormous strain on hospitals across the country and causing a severe lack of beds.

Published: 4 January 2024 12:33 CET
Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Winter colds and flu are common, but this year Spain has seen a spike in cases of three different viruses – flu, Covid and bronchitis at the same time.

This comes after the festive and New Year period with lots of family gatherings and meetings with friends without much thought for social distancing days of the pandemic.

Rise in cases

According to health services, there are 35 percent more cases of these infections than a year ago, a percentage that is expected to continue rising until the third week of January when the epidemic peak will be reached after more gatherings for Three Kings’ Day on January 5th and 6th.

In a period of seven days, the rates of flu have gone from 532 to 908 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The cases of Covid have also grown from 12.6 percent to 13.6 percent.

The Health Minister, Monica García has published a message on social media reminding the public of the importance of getting vaccinated and maintaining prevention measures, such as ventilating rooms, washing hands and wearing a mask.

The head of the Emergency Department at the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Murcia, explained that the profile of these patients ranges “from young people with flu pathologies who go to the emergency room because health centres have delayed their appointments and people over 80 years old with pneumonia due to the flu who end up being admitted”.

Lack of hospital beds

According to the first vice president of the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), Pascual Piñera, 10 of patients with these infections end up admitted to hospital overnight and one of the biggest problems staff are facing is the severe lack of beds, “They have nowhere to put the sick”, he explained.

The situation is the same all over the country. Red Workers union of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid has reported that there are 105 patients pending admission and beds in the hallways are in double rows, “which cannot be evacuated if the patient worsens or there is a fire”.

Delays in primary health care 

Acute respiratory infections not only put a strain on hospitals and emergency rooms, but also primary care centres, causing delays and long waiting times for appointments. 

The spokesperson for the Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Health (FADSP), Marciano Sánchez Bayle, explains that it is generating a “major traffic jam” in the healthcare system “where appointments are made for very late dates”.

Sánchez Bayle cites the case of the Community of Madrid, where he knows that appointments requested in December were not given until the end of January “which further clogs an already saturated system”. 

The need for greater vaccination rates 

Besides the festive period, many health professionals believe that the situation could be improved if more people were getting vaccinated, specifically against the flu. 

Flu vaccination in Spain is far below the WHO recommendations, hovering around 50 percent of the population at risk, when the goal is 75 percent. And the percentage is even lower in the case of children under five.

According to the Ministry of Health, the objectives for vaccination against flu and Covid-19 for the 2023-2024 season are to achieve or exceed vaccination coverage of 75 percent in older people and health workers, as well as 60 percent for pregnant women and people with at-risk conditions.

Amós García Rojas from Spain’s Vaccinology Association believes that after a few years without flu during the Covid pandemic, society has relaxed.

The vaccination campaign has not yet ended, so there’s still time to get yours before the end of the season. The campaign began on October 15th and ends on January 31st. 

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