Spain’s Government Confirms Regions Already in Phase 3 Can End Lockdown & Enter ‘New Normal’ When Ready

Spain’s autonomous communities that are already in Phase 3 of de-escalation can transition to the “new normal” when regional governments deem their region “to be ready”, according to Health Minister Salvador Illa.

RESTRICTIONS on movement will then be finally lifted and citizens will be allowed to travel between communities that are in the “new normal” phase, Illa added in a press conference today. He reiterated that once regions are in Phase 3, it will be the regional premiers who will decide how quickly they want to plough through de-escalation, and have the final say on matters such as when to allow movement between provinces/health districts.

Slowly, but surely, we are “recovering our way of life,” added the Government’s spokesperson María Jesús Montero. “Regional premiers can gain control of their own communities in the last stages of the State of Alarm,” she confirmed, assuring regional heads that they will have the full support and backing of the Ministry of Health because a “collaborative effort” is a must to “overcome the pandemic”.

On Monday June 8, around 52% of the Spanish population will be in Phase 3 and 48% will be in Phase 2, as reported. The regions that will progress to Phase 3 of de-escalation next week include: Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, Basque Country, La Rioja, Navarre, Aragon, Extremadura, Andalucia, Murcia, Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura.

Communities progressing to Phase 2 include Madrid, Barcelona, Castilla and Leon, the health district of Lerida, the northern and southern metropolitan regions of Catalonia, and Valencia also remaining in Phase 2.