GREATER practical and financial help for parents is on the cards now that a new 'family law' has passed its second reading in the Council of Ministers, with extended maternity and paternity pay, protected time...
Most of Spain to move to 'Phase 1' but Madrid and Barcelona kept on 'Phase 0'
15/05/2020
A LONG list of provinces and hospital catchment areas will move onto 'Phase 1' of recovery from Monday – a giant leap forward which means shops of less than 400 square metres can open subject to compulsory safety measures and limited customer numbers with no appointments needed, and bars and cafés can open their outside terraces, which can be 50% full, among other new freedoms.
As yet, no indication has been given as to when residents can travel to other provinces, which continues to be very limiting to those who live close to a border.
Four territories will pass onto 'Phase 2', meaning cinemas, theatres and other cultural venues can open, 50% full, along with further relaxations of restrictions.
Two, however, will stay on 'Phase 0'.
'Phase 0'
After much heated discussion between Spain's government and the right-wing PP party which runs the Greater Madrid region, national health authorities turned down the capital's request to move onto 'Phase 1', given that the densely-populated metropolitan area and its satellite towns are where the bulk of the Covid-19 cases and fatalities are located.
Barcelona's metropolitan area has also been ordered to remain on 'Phase 0', as this includes Spain's second-largest city and is the second major focal point of Covid-19.
The district directly to the south of Barcelona city, Baix Penedès, also remains on 'Phase 0'.
If you live in one of the few remaining areas of Spain still on 'Phase 0', check our guide as to what you can and cannot do here.
'Phase 1'
Since Monday this week, the entire regions of Aragón, Asturias, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Murcia, Navarra, Extremadura, Galicia, the Basque Country, Cantabria, La Rioja, and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern Moroccan coast, have been in 'Phase 1', along with all of Andalucía except the provinces of Granada and Málaga, the provinces of Guadalajara and Cuenca in Castilla-La Mancha, a handful of hospital catchment areas – but no complete province – in Castilla y León, and 10 out of 24 hospital catchment areas in the Comunidad Valenciana.
In the latter, those which have already been on 'Phase 1' all this week so far are the towns and villages falling within the area health departments of Gandia, Xàtiva-Ontinyent, Requena (Valencia province), Orihuela, Elda, Dénia, Villajoyosa-Marina Baixa, Alcoi, Torrevieja (Alicante province) and Vinaròs (Castellón province).
From Monday, May 18, all remaining health departments in the three provinces of the Comunidad Valenciana – those in and around Valencia city, plus La Ribera and Sagunto (Valencia province), Alicante city, San Juan, and Elche (Alicante province), and the two departments operating from Castellón city – will be on 'Phase 1', meaning the whole of the region is now at this level.
For Catalunya, the remainder of the provinces of Tarragona and Lleida and the whole of that of Girona will move to 'Phase 1', meaning the only province split between phases is Barcelona – here, the Catalunya Central, Alt Penedès and El Garraf health departments will join Tarragona, Lleida and Girona on 'Phase 1', with the rest of that of Barcelona on 'Phase 0'.
Andalucía will, from Monday, be entirely on 'Phase 1', as Granada and Málaga provinces have been given licence to take the step and join all the others in the southern region.
All of Castilla-La Mancha will be on 'Phase 1' from Monday, since the provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real and Albacete will join the other two.
Area health departments in Castilla y León which will pass to 'Phase 1' from Monday are Mombeltrán, Madrigal de las Altas Torres, San Pedro Arroyo (Ávila), Melgar Fernamental, Valle Tobalina, Valle Valdebezana, Roa de Duero (Burgos province), Calzada Valdunciel, Cantalpiedra, Fuentes de Oñoro, Matilla Caños, Fuenteguinaldo, Peñaranda (Salamanca province), Sepúlveda, Navafría (Segovia province), Mota del Marqués, Villafrechos, Villalón de Campos (Valladolid province), Berlanga de Duero, Olvega (Soria province), Camarzana de Tera, Villarrín, Mombuey (Zamora province), Mansilla Mulas, Sahagún Campos, Valderas, Bembibre, Cacabelos, Fabero, Puente Domingo Flórez, Ponferrada I, II, III and IV, Toreno, Villablino, Villafranca Bierzo (León province), and Cervera Pisuerga, Guardo, Paredes de Nava and Villamuriel de Cerrato (Palencia province).
Find out what you can and cannot do in 'Phase 1' here – note, however, that although bars are now permitted to open their terraces to 50% capacity, they are not yet permitted to open their inside parts, and a high number of bars, particularly smaller ones, have opted not to open until 'Phase 2'.
'Phase 2'
This is not likely to be on the cards for at least another week or two anywhere in Spain, except for the Balearic island of Formentera and the Canary islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa, which will move to 'Phase 2' from this coming Monday.
The photograph shows Lanzarote's Honda beach on its first day in 'Phase 1', with customers now permitted to go out for a drink but with tables spaced apart and only set up on the outside terrace.
Related Topics
A LONG list of provinces and hospital catchment areas will move onto 'Phase 1' of recovery from Monday – a giant leap forward which means shops of less than 400 square metres can open subject to compulsory safety measures and limited customer numbers with no appointments needed, and bars and cafés can open their outside terraces, which can be 50% full, among other new freedoms.
As yet, no indication has been given as to when residents can travel to other provinces, which continues to be very limiting to those who live close to a border.
Four territories will pass onto 'Phase 2', meaning cinemas, theatres and other cultural venues can open, 50% full, along with further relaxations of restrictions.
Two, however, will stay on 'Phase 0'.
'Phase 0'
After much heated discussion between Spain's government and the right-wing PP party which runs the Greater Madrid region, national health authorities turned down the capital's request to move onto 'Phase 1', given that the densely-populated metropolitan area and its satellite towns are where the bulk of the Covid-19 cases and fatalities are located.
Barcelona's metropolitan area has also been ordered to remain on 'Phase 0', as this includes Spain's second-largest city and is the second major focal point of Covid-19.
The district directly to the south of Barcelona city, Baix Penedès, also remains on 'Phase 0'.
If you live in one of the few remaining areas of Spain still on 'Phase 0', check our guide as to what you can and cannot do here.
'Phase 1'
Since Monday this week, the entire regions of Aragón, Asturias, the Balearic and Canary Islands, Murcia, Navarra, Extremadura, Galicia, the Basque Country, Cantabria, La Rioja, and the enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern Moroccan coast, have been in 'Phase 1', along with all of Andalucía except the provinces of Granada and Málaga, the provinces of Guadalajara and Cuenca in Castilla-La Mancha, a handful of hospital catchment areas – but no complete province – in Castilla y León, and 10 out of 24 hospital catchment areas in the Comunidad Valenciana.
In the latter, those which have already been on 'Phase 1' all this week so far are the towns and villages falling within the area health departments of Gandia, Xàtiva-Ontinyent, Requena (Valencia province), Orihuela, Elda, Dénia, Villajoyosa-Marina Baixa, Alcoi, Torrevieja (Alicante province) and Vinaròs (Castellón province).
From Monday, May 18, all remaining health departments in the three provinces of the Comunidad Valenciana – those in and around Valencia city, plus La Ribera and Sagunto (Valencia province), Alicante city, San Juan, and Elche (Alicante province), and the two departments operating from Castellón city – will be on 'Phase 1', meaning the whole of the region is now at this level.
For Catalunya, the remainder of the provinces of Tarragona and Lleida and the whole of that of Girona will move to 'Phase 1', meaning the only province split between phases is Barcelona – here, the Catalunya Central, Alt Penedès and El Garraf health departments will join Tarragona, Lleida and Girona on 'Phase 1', with the rest of that of Barcelona on 'Phase 0'.
Andalucía will, from Monday, be entirely on 'Phase 1', as Granada and Málaga provinces have been given licence to take the step and join all the others in the southern region.
All of Castilla-La Mancha will be on 'Phase 1' from Monday, since the provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real and Albacete will join the other two.
Area health departments in Castilla y León which will pass to 'Phase 1' from Monday are Mombeltrán, Madrigal de las Altas Torres, San Pedro Arroyo (Ávila), Melgar Fernamental, Valle Tobalina, Valle Valdebezana, Roa de Duero (Burgos province), Calzada Valdunciel, Cantalpiedra, Fuentes de Oñoro, Matilla Caños, Fuenteguinaldo, Peñaranda (Salamanca province), Sepúlveda, Navafría (Segovia province), Mota del Marqués, Villafrechos, Villalón de Campos (Valladolid province), Berlanga de Duero, Olvega (Soria province), Camarzana de Tera, Villarrín, Mombuey (Zamora province), Mansilla Mulas, Sahagún Campos, Valderas, Bembibre, Cacabelos, Fabero, Puente Domingo Flórez, Ponferrada I, II, III and IV, Toreno, Villablino, Villafranca Bierzo (León province), and Cervera Pisuerga, Guardo, Paredes de Nava and Villamuriel de Cerrato (Palencia province).
Find out what you can and cannot do in 'Phase 1' here – note, however, that although bars are now permitted to open their terraces to 50% capacity, they are not yet permitted to open their inside parts, and a high number of bars, particularly smaller ones, have opted not to open until 'Phase 2'.
'Phase 2'
This is not likely to be on the cards for at least another week or two anywhere in Spain, except for the Balearic island of Formentera and the Canary islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa, which will move to 'Phase 2' from this coming Monday.
The photograph shows Lanzarote's Honda beach on its first day in 'Phase 1', with customers now permitted to go out for a drink but with tables spaced apart and only set up on the outside terrace.
Related Topics
More News & Information
BRITISH media outlets have lauded Spain's Queen Letizia's effortlessly-elegant dress sense over the past few days as she accompanies her husband King Felipe VI to London.
SPAIN'S headcount has risen to its highest figure in history – for the first time ever, the population has broken the 48 million barrier.
GERMAN supermarket chain Aldi has announced a major expansion plan for Spain in 2024, with its distribution centre in Sagunto (Valencia province) set to open next month and a another one on the cards for the north.