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Spaniards at the country’s main transportation hubs received face masks this morning as the government relaxed some of the harsh closure measures designed to curb the coronavirus health crisis that has claimed nearly 17,000 lives.
As Spain enters its second month of closure, some companies that cannot operate remotely, including construction and manufacturing, were allowed to reopen, drawing criticism from some regional leaders who fear a resurgence of the outbreak.
However, the majority of the population is still confined to their homes, while shops, bars and public spaces will remain closed until at least April 26.
Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told Cadena Serradio station that Spanish police began delivering millions of masks early in the morning in regions that are not observing a holiday.
“The health of workers must be guaranteed. If this is minimally affected, activity cannot be restarted,” he said.
The reopening of a company, the Burgos-based industrial group Nicolás Correa, said it would take steps to prioritize the health of its staff.
“We will continue to work in shifts, with staggered entrances and exits to avoid concentrations of personnel,” he said, adding that all workers would receive protective equipment.
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Reuters television footage showed that only a few passengers entered and left the main entrance to Madrid’s bustling Atocha train station.
Road traffic was also light, with mainly public buses passing, in contrast to the usual morning traffic jams seen just a month ago.
The cumulative number of deaths in Spain from the coronavirus rose to 16,972 yesterday with confirmed cases totaling 166,019, although blocking restrictions have helped slow a spiraling death rate that peaked in early April.
Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said the decision to restart some sectors of the economy was made after consulting a committee of scientific experts and that any further reduction would depend on the gains made against the virus.
The fortnight of “economic hibernation,” as Mr. Sánchez described it, is slowly rising.
Italy, France and the USA USA They have reported a drop in Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, with Italy, the European nation hardest hit by the disease, reporting its lowest toll in more than three weeks.
More than half the planet’s population stays home as part of efforts to stem the spread of the virus, which emerged in China late last year and has now killed at least 112,500 people, overwhelming health systems and paralyzing the world economy.
Governments around the world are under pressure to keep populations safe while avoiding economic collapse, amid warnings of a recession not seen since the Great Depression.
But the World Health Organization warned countries against lifting closure restrictions too soon.
Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to warn France that its blockade to fight the coronavirus must continue for at least several more weeks, while describing how the country will recover from the crisis.
Just after 6 p.m. M. Irish Time, Macron will deliver his third prime-time televised address to the nation on the epidemic from the Elysee Palace.
In its last, it announced the national blockade to stop the spread of the virus since March 17.
This speech will come after the first signs of tentative relief from the crisis in France and that the blockade is beginning to have an effect, with the epidemic beginning to stabilize, albeit at a high level.
France yesterday reported a lower number of Covid-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, with 315 hospital deaths over the last day, compared to 345 the previous day.
The total number of victims of the coronavirus epidemic, including those who have died in nursing homes, now stands at 14,393, the health ministry said.
And for the fourth consecutive day, the number of patients in intensive care decreased with 35 fewer patients, making a total of 6,845 people who need such treatment.
But officials have warned that the situation remains dire, especially in the Ile-de-France region near Paris, with no quick return to normal in sight.
Macron will seek to steer a careful line between warning France that an early relaxation of the blockade could be disastrous, and reassuring people that the government has a plan to bring the country back to normal.
The confinement has confined the French to their homes for nearly a month, with only brief trips allowed outside for shopping and other essential errands.
Sources said Macron would announce that the blockade should extend beyond its current expiration date of April 15 until well into May.
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