Surfing and walking, the Spanish claim the outdoors

MADRID: The Spanish delighted in a second day of freedom on Sunday (May 3), meeting outdoors in time slots for age groups on the first weekend, adults were able to leave since one of the blockades was imposed of the world’s strictest coronaviruses in mid-March.

Although the appalling outbreak of COVID-19 in Spain has engulfed the nation in mourning for more than 25,000 deaths, there was much-needed relief on a sunny spring day when people finally returned to the streets, hills, and sea.

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Surfer Sigrid Cervera, 44, screamed with joy when she jumped into the waves with her board in Gava, a city on the Mediterranean coast outside Barcelona.

“I haven’t been able to surf for years, so I’m very excited this morning,” she said.

The runners ruled the streets from the beginning, before it was the turn of the elderly and then the children, all under the order to stay two meters away under continuous social distancing guidelines.

“We can breathe,” exulted an elderly Madrid resident, María Jesús, enjoying a walk through the city center.

“At home, all you can do is open a window, and you open them every day, but it’s not the same as being outdoors.”

One of the most affected nations, the death toll in Spain increased by 164 in the last 24 hours to 25,264, while cases reached 217,466, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health on Sunday.

But the decreasing rate of deaths and infections has prompted Spain to begin undoing its order to stay home, as children have been able to leave under supervision since last weekend and adults are allowed to exercise outdoors from Saturday.

‘GREAT RELIEF’

Walking and sports are allowed from 6 to 10 a.m. and from 8 to 11 p.m., while children have afternoons and the elderly receive windows late in the morning and at dusk.

“It is a great relief for me to go out and run again,” said musician Jordi Jornet, 45, who jogged along the coast in Gava on Sunday after a run in the mountains the night before. He has been out of work since closing, which has paralyzed the Spanish economy.

To avoid overcrowding, the Barcelona city council prohibited the entry to its urban beaches, so thousands of people converged on the promenade.

In the capital Madrid, where parks and other large public spaces remain closed, corridors and walkers shared pavements and narrow sidewalks.

Relaxing exercise restrictions is one of the first steps in a four-phase plan to reopen Spain in late June.

Starting Monday, companies that operate by appointment, such as hairdressers and beauty salons, will resume limited services.

In the next stage, open-air areas of bars and restaurants can open with an occupancy of 50 percent, while groups of up to 10 people will be allowed in public places and in homes.

Environment Minister Teresa Ribera, who heads the committee responsible for solving the blockade, told the El País newspaper that people should be careful until at least October.

The head of health emergencies, Fernando Simon, echoed that warning and told reporters that there was a high risk of a new outbreak.

CHECK THIS: Our comprehensive coverage of the coronavirus outbreak and its developments