Spain's first steps towards 'unlocking': The different stages explained

So far, the government has agreed that the 'winding-down' period will start from Monday, May 4, with 'Phase 0' – each phase being approximately two weeks, but in some cases will be quicker and in others, last much longer, depending upon location and history of Covid-19 contagion.

'Phase 0' will begin with the general public being allowed out once a day for a short period for exercise, and professional sportspeople will be able to restart their training, but only where they can do this individually rather than as teams.

Also, anyone who places food orders from bars and restaurants will be permitted to go and collect them in person.

Larger shops, such as national chains, and other customer-facing businesses not currently considered 'essential services' will be allowed to reopen, but certain time slots each day will be reserved for those of State pension age and above only.

'Phase 1' – the first 'real' phase of Spain's reopening, given that 'Phase 0' is only a preparatory step – will start to see hotels and holiday accommodation taking in guests again, but numbers will be limited and movement will be restricted in communal parts.

Holiday-home owners will be able to travel to their second properties, but only where these are in the same province.

Small shops, restaurants and pavement cafés, and the outside seating only in bars, will reopen, but will only be able to be 30% full at any time, and places of worship such as churches and mosques can also start their activities again, but cannot be more than a third full.

Three of the Canary Islands – La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa – and the Balearic island of Formentera will go straight to Phase 1 this coming Monday, since they have had few or no cases of Covid-19 and, as they are surrounded by water, it is much harder for anyone not already present there to import the condition.

In 'Phase 2', cinemas, theatres and other arts and entertainment venues will open again, but can only be up to a third full, and other cultural events can take place, but will be capped at 50 people.

Hunting and fishing will be able to restart, bars will be able to let customers inside – subject to as-yet unconfirmed limits – schools can reopen for remedial or extra revision classes if, as looks likely, the academic year has finished by then, and places of worship can be up to 50% full.

'Phase 3', which could be the last leg of the 'unlocking' process or could be an indefinite situation, will see all trade happening again, but no premises can be more than 50% full, the use of masks will continue to be recommended when leaving home, and social distancing will carry on.

During the 'unlocking', which will be staggered and will be different for each province, it is likely people will start to be able to go to see friends and family at home again – but it is likely they will only be able to do so within the same province.

This could cause some controversy, given that a person living in, for example, Orihuela Costa, would be allowed to see friends living in Dénia – over an hour and a half's drive away – but not in San Pedro del Pinatar, which is 10 minutes up the road, given that the first two are in the same province (Alicante) and the latter is in a different one (Murcia).

In fact, during the four stages, people may not be allowed to leave their province, let alone their region, which could continue to be restrictive for those living right on the border of one province but with friends, family or leisure activities a few minutes away in the other.

So far, the government has not clarified issues such as friend and family visits, and when Spain's borders will be reopened.

The latter is likely to start with its land borders – France, Portugal, Andorra, Morocco, and the British enclave of Gibraltar – with internal EU borders next, and finally, third countries.

But given that talks have already taken place about allowing residents in specific northern European nations less affected by the pandemic to travel to Spain if they have holiday homes in the country, it could be that the border-opening will happen sooner rather than later.

Even though frontiers with the EU will open before those with third countries, the UK is likely to fall within the first category due to its transition period towards leaving the bloc being set to continue until the end of the year.

As for public transport during the 'winding-down' period, nothing has as yet been confirmed, but ideas have included reducing passenger numbers to 50% and mandatory social distancing.

Another idea is for passengers to pre-book their seats for within a specific time slot so transport managers know to provide suitable resources to prevent overcrowding.

Spain's ministry of transport wants to try to avoid rush-hour crowds, and is considering introducing temporary bike lanes, requiring the different regions to increase bus and train frequency, and is also attempting to encourage workplaces to overhaul their practices to reduce the need for rush-hour travel at all.

The ministry wants to continue to promote home-working where this is possible – in fact, anyone who is able to work from home has been doing so now since March 16 – and for firms to make start and finish times more flexible.

This might involve convincing shops or other customer-facing businesses to open later in the morning than usual, and a possible overhaul of school and college hours so students do not coincide with the flux of workers.

Keeping passengers and drivers safe is likely to involve a continued recommendation to wear masks on public transport, hand sanitiser dispensers at entrances, buses and trains with automatic doors to prevent physical contact with them, screens to separate driver from passengers and the first row of seats blocked off, and on buses, for commuters to use the back door where possible.

Ticket-selling channels will need improvement, says the ministry, to cut down the need for cash as much as is feasible, and information systems to keep travellers updated on delays and ensure they know the exact times of their buses and trains need to be set up, says transport minister José Luis Ábalos – this will prevent large crowds of passengers hanging around waiting, bunched together, at stations and bus stops.

Specific cleaning and disinfecting plans will also need to be set up, says Ábalos.

Details of how Spain's return to normality actually pans out in practice rather than on paper are likely to be tweaked constantly as the pandemic subsides and disagreements arise or are resolved.

Several regional governments are calling for the 'unlocking' phases to apply to area health departments, rather than provinces.

Valencia was the first region to raise the matter, pointing out that, whilst thousands of Covid-19 cases and hundreds of deaths have been recorded in Valencia city – Spain's third-largest and home to around 795,000 people – barely an hour away in the district health departments of Gandia and of Xàtiva-Ontinyent, contagion numbers are only around 200 and the death rate is under 20, yet in the western hinterland area health authority of Requena, the contagion and mortality rates are multiple times higher in terms of both number and percentage, it is very rural and sparsely populated and residents' average ages are much higher.