Since national lockdown measures began in Spain last month, children and adults alike have been banned from exiting their houses for recreational purposes. Today, for the first time in 42 days, the chicos and chicas got to play outside albeit with time restrictions.
Today, the Spanish government has allowed children under the age of 14 to be outside with various restrictions. They must be accompanied by an adult, and can only be outside for an hour between 9am and 9pm. They are also not allowed to be together with other children except family members.
There were some confusions earlier in the day when several news outlets reported that Spain reopened the beaches.
Government officials clarified that only children and their guardians who reside within a 1km radius may visit the beaches. Other than a stroll, all other activities such as picnics and swimming are still not allowed.
Spanish police said that they will be on the lookout to enforce order. Although they won’t be unnecessarily strict, officials did state that the police may time and order families to return if they are outside for too long.
Police have been keeping a keen look as reports of families violating regulations started pouring in as soon as the regulations were eased. Police did emphasize that they could legally fine families for violating lockdown measures.
The same measure is scheduled to follow for adults on May 2nd. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez says that he will let all Spaniards go out for a walk or individual exercise as soon as the parliament votes and approves of the plan.
Spain has extended the duration of their state of emergency until May 10th. PM Sanchez stated that Spain will slowly but surely return to life before the pandemic. He asked his people to trust and cooperate with the government as the nation returns to normalcy.
“We enter together and we will leave together as a country, as a team, even if at different speeds” was the Spanish PM’s words as he spoke to his people regarding the deescalation procedures.
We hope that this decision to let children breathe some fresh air don’t lead to the dreaded second wave that experts are fearing. Share your thoughts on this story in the comments, and be sure to follow us on Facebook for more news like this one.
Replaced!