RESIDENTS in five regions in Spain are allowed to travel to other provinces within their territories from today (Monday), although others have decided to wait at least another week.
Anyone living in Andalucía, the Canary Islands, Galicia, Aragón or the Basque Country can now travel to another province – for example, those based on the Costa del Sol can go to Granada or Cádiz, and people in Teruel can go to Zaragoza or Huesca – although they are still not able to leave their regions.
Spanish health authorities opted to allow regional governments to decide for themselves whether movement between provinces would be permitted – provided these regions were in 'Phase 3'.
This means residents cannot yet leave their provinces if they live in Castilla y León, the Comunidad Valenciana, the Castilla-La Mancha provinces of Toledo, Ciudad Real or Albacete, or the Catalunya provinces of Barcelona or Girona or within the hospital catchment areas of Alt Pirineu or the Arán Valley in Lleida, since all these areas remain on 'Phase 2'.
Different regional governments have made different decisions on movement, though.
In the Basque Country, residents can travel within regional borders without restrictions, although the exercise time slots of 10.00 to noon and 19.00 to 20.00 for the over-70s will be retained for the moment as a 'priority period'.
But the Basque regional government's request for 'outliers', or people living on the borders with provinces in neighbouring regions – such as Navarra and Cantabria – to be allowed to cross over into these territories has been denied, likewise its request for the French border to open.
Galicia says it has authorised travel between its four provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense and Pontevedra because they are all in a 'similar epidemiological situation', with the rate of contagion currently at 0.41 patients per 100,000 inhabitants – less than a 10th of Spain's average of 4.84 per 100,000.
Andalucía and Aragón have also authorised free movement within regional borders, and the Canaries has allowed travel between islands 'with no specific essential reason' required.
Even during lockdown, some inter-island travel had to be allowed, as residents may have had to go to hospitals or to work on a different island.
But the archipelago's government has warned the public 'not to let its guard down' and says safety measures will remain stringent – compulsory masks, disinfecting of inter-island planes between passengers, a ban on food on board or on individual controlling of air conditioning, and everyone's temperature being taken before they get on the aircraft.
Other regions now on 'Phase 3' from today – Asturias, Cantabria, Navarra, La Rioja, Murcia, the Balearic Islands, and the enclave of Melilla on the northern Moroccan coast – only comprise one province each, so the decision-making does not apply, and as yet nobody is permitted to travel outside their region.
Extremadura, land-locked in the west and bordering Portugal, has decided not to allow movement between its two provinces of Cáceres and Badajoz for at least another week.
And even though 'Phase 3' means nightlife hotspots are allowed to open, Extremadura says it is 'not in a hurry' to do so and will hold back until at least June 15.
In any case, customers at nightclubs and similar venues are banned from dancing, so these can only be visited to meet friends, have a drink and listen to the music.
Even though 60% of Castilla-La Mancha is still on 'Phase 2', its provinces of Cuenca and Guadalajara are now on 'Phase 3' from today, and the regional government says residents can travel between the two without restrictions – just not into any of the other three.
'Phase 3' also means public transport can operate in full, although social distancing is strongly advised and mask-wearing is compulsory.
Masks are mandatory in any enclosed public places such as shops or on trains - and in open spaces including walking down the street where a minimum distance of two metres between people cannot be guaranteed – although they are not required, for obvious reasons, in bars, cafés or restaurants.
This said, if customers stay at their tables talking or reading after finishing their food or drink – and even between sips or bites – they are strongly encouraged to put their masks back on.
The rule applies to everyone aged six or over except if they have medical conditions that could make it dangerous to do so or if they are practising sports where a mask would inhibit breathing, and they are recommended, although not obligatory, for children aged three to five inclusive.
Babies under three should not wear them.
The government has announced anyone caught not wearing a mask in a situation where doing so is mandatory will be fined €100.
