Latest: Coronavirus in Spain figures (1 Feb)
ALSO READ (19/1/21): Valencia region closing all bars and restaurants for 14 days
ALSO READ: Details of curfews & restrictions for all regions of Spain during ‘State of Alarm’
Seven new restrictions have been announced today by the Valencian president Ximo Puig in an attempt to curb the rate of Coronavirus infections, but schools are still set to open as planned on Thursday.
Puig said he was very worried about the pressure on the health system, due to the rapid rise in cases of Covid-19, but that at the moment the system isn’t ‘saturated’. However, he said it was necessary to bring in new measures to try and slow down the rates of infections.
There are seven key new points:
- An extension until 31 January of the closure of the regional border.
- The nighttime curfew to now start at 10pm.
- Closure of bars, restaurants and other hospitality venues by 5pm, and a maximum of four people per table.
- Smoking is banned on bar and restaurant terraces.
- Shops will be limited to 30% capacity.
- A maximum of six in all private social and family gatherings.
- Any towns with a 14-day critical level of infections to be confined.
So far 26 towns in the Valencian region are to be locked down. They are Borriol, Adtzena del Maestrat, Soneja and Jerica in Castellón Province; Alcoi, Castalla and Polop in Alicante Province and Llíria, Utiel, Massanassa, Ayora, Sedaví, Sollana, Guadassuar, Oliva, Daimús, Canals, Benigànim, Xàtiva, Moixent, Ontinyent, Cheste, Sinarcas, Anna, Quatretonda, and Bonrepós i Miramblell in Valencia Province.
The new measures will come into effect on Thursday 7 January and continue until 31 January.
The announcement was made following a meeting of the Inter-departmental Commission this morning [Tuesday], given the development of the last figures which show a ‘serious and worrying’ situation, with an increase in incidence of 17% in two weeks, an increase of 52% in hospital admissions and 196 deaths in a week.
However, the measures won’t affect the return to school. Puig said: ‘Schools are the safest place for our boys and girls and we can’t let the virus affect their future.’ He asked parents to trust in the safety of schools and he thanked the education community for their ‘invaluable’ work in keeping the classrooms open, adding: ‘It is equality and the future of society which is at play here.’ He concluded saying that the new measures aimed to ‘Save work, save lives, save families.’
ALSO READ (18/12/20): Valencia Region tightens its Covid-19 restrictions from 21 Dec to 15 Jan
ALSO READ: Details of curfews & restrictions for all regions of Spain during ‘State of Alarm’
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