The Ministry of Health decides on the requests to advance to phase 2 of the de-escalation, which begins on Monday, May 25. With more than half of the territory installed in phase 1 of de-escalation , the next step is to have the improvement of the coronavirus pandemic data consolidated in order to follow this process and alleviate the confinement measures.
Andalusia has asked the Ministry that its entire territory go to phase 2, including the provinces of Malaga and Granada, which joined the first phase a week later than the rest.
The period of each of these phases is fifteen days, so it remains in the hands of the Health experts if both provinces agree to thephase 2 that enters into force on May 25, as long as the requirements established to be able to take this new step are met.
In order to be able to benefit from the improvements set in phase 2, as of May 25, the territories will have to meet a series of conditions related to health criteria, the epidemiological situation, mobility data and socioeconomic data.
No time slots
One of the main novelties that Phase 2 brings is the disappearance of the time slots for carrying out activities. This improvement, which was not originally contemplated for phase 2, implies that the children’s outings or the time slots for sports disappear.
TheThe only exception will be the time slot reserved between 10:00 and 12:00 and between 19:00 and 20:00 for the elderly and people most vulnerable to Covid-19, although they will ultimately be the municipalities or the autonomous communities that delimit them.
Novelties in phase 2
The main improvements that citizens will suffer in phase 2 are the increase in the capacity of terraces, the opening of shopping centers, the interior of bars, while religious services and shops expand their capacity from 30 to 50 % .
Restaurants with more than 70 square meters will be able to open their interiors , with a third of the capacity and only with table service. The bars will have to wait.
TheShopping centers will open to the public with 40% capacity and prohibiting the stay of customers in common areas.
Likewise, theaters, cinemas and auditoriums may open to the public with numbered seats and with a third of capacity as well. Cultural shows will be reduced to a maximum of 50 people for closed spaces and a limit of 400 if they are outdoors, but always with assigned seats.
In addition, non-federated athletes will be able to return to training and the number of sports facilities that open their doors will increase, always for the practice of sports in which there is no contact or the risk of contagion is low.
With respect toTerritorial mobility , by any means of transport, the limitations will continue the same as in phase 1: only within the province of residence, unless the government decides on some variation in this regard.
Criteria for advancing the phase
The authorities will take into account the capacity of the health system in the specific territory, both hospital capacity and primary care.
On the other hand, the situation of the epidemic in the area will be evaluated , analyzing the data on infections, admissions and deaths.
In addition, Health will also consider as objective data the figures for the implementation of security measuresin public transport, workplaces, shops…
And, finally, the secret committee appointed by the government will study the socioeconomic data of the area .
As happened with phase 1, this evolution will be asymmetrical by territory and is also reversible . A significant increase in infections or a change in the situation could paralyze the change to the next phase and, in more serious cases, even go back in de-escalation.
