The Generalitat Valenciana opens the terraces of the bars until six o’clock and extends the business hours from Monday 1st March 2021
Ximo Puig announces that the perimeter closures in the 16 most populated cities will be lifted during the weekend and meetings of four people will be allowed in public spaces
The Valencian Government has started the de-escalation of the third wave with a set of measures that soften the restrictions imposed on January 21 due to the evolution of the pandemic. The Valencian Community was at breaking point earlier on in the year as the incidence reached 1,400 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and hospitals were on the brink of collapse. For this reason, a situation of semi-confinement measures were set in place.
However, now is a much more positive story. With an incidence of 176 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, below the Spanish average (218), the commission, chaired by the president of the Generalitat, the socialist Ximo Puig, and with the assistance of the two vice-presidents, Mónica Oltra, de Compromís, and Rubén Martínez Dalmau, from Unides Podem, among others, have decided to ease the restrictions and review them week by week depending on the the figures. The purpose is to go little by little to avoid reproducing what happened after the Christmas holidays. “We are better off, but we are not well,” said Puig.
These are the main measures adopted today for the next 14 days and which come into effect from midnight on March 1st 2021:
Hospitality reopens in the community on Monday morning:
Opening of the terraces of the bars until 6pm, while the interiors are kept closed, with a maximum of four people per table, always with a mask when not consuming. Until now, they could only sell takeout food and drinks. The terraces have their capacity capped at 75%.
Limits of 4 people in public spaces
A Four people limit from different cohabiting families in the public space. Until now it was two people. In private, like homes, the restriction of the family nucleus is maintained.
The perimeter closures stops
Monday marks the end of the perimeter closures of the 16 Valencian municipalities with more than 50,000 inhabitants (comprising about 2.5 million people) that affected Valencia, Alicante, Castellón, Elche, Gandia, Alcoi, Benidorm, Orihuela, Paterna, Elda, Petrer, Sagunto, Torrent, Torrevieja, Sant Vicent del Raspeig and Vila-real. This weekend is the final one.
Extension of business hours
Extension of the opening hours of shops until eight at night. Until now, the hours ended at six, with the exception of food stores, pharmacies and others which were considered essential (such as opticians or establishments of orthopedic products, hairdressers and places where food for pets is sold). They are capped at 50% capacity.
Sports
It’s now allowed to exercise in open sports facilities, without physical contact, also in those run by professionals in groups of maximum four people with a coach.
Playgrounds, parks and gardens re-open
Public parks and gardens are reopened and the capacity in religious spaces is increased to 50%.
Restrictions that are maintained
The curfew is maintained, from 10 at night until six in the morning.
The restriction of meetings inside the houses to the cohabiting nucleus.
The regional perimeter closure that prevents entering or leaving the Valencian Community is also extended.
The measures that remain in force will last 14 days, although next week the interdepartmental commission will meet again to evaluate the situation, on which the president has promised that the limitations last only the necessary time, “not a day longer than necessary.”
In this regard, Puig has highlighted that the favorable epidemiological evolution in the Valencian Community, with an incidence that dropped by 88% since the adoption of the limitations.
It’s important that everybody works together and sticks to these restrictions in order to continue moving forward.
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