Spain’s Madrid Closes Cocktail Bars and Nightclubs and Prohibits Smoking in the Street

After an increase in coronavirus cases, the community of Madrid has announced it will close nightlife venues (such as cocktail bars and nightclubs) and ban smoking in the street – without proper distancing – starting from Thursday.

IT has brought in these preventive measures to deal with the coronavirus health crisis in the region, sources from the Ministry of Health have said the order will be published this Wednesday (tomorrow) in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid, the measures will come into effect from Thursday, August 20.

The closure of nightlife venues and the ban on smoking in the street within two metres of another person are part of the package of measures agreed last Friday by the Ministry of Health and the autonomous communities to combat the spread of the coronavirus.

It was also agreed to limit the occupancy of tables in hotels and restaurants to 10 people and fix closing times at 1.00am, with last customers allowed in at 12.00.

It will now also be mandatory to carry out PCR tests in social health centres and nursing homes for new entrants and for employees who return from leave or holidays – visits will be limited to one person per resident with a maximum of one hour per day.

Most of these changes have already been applied by many autonomous communities such as Catalonia, Extremadura, Asturias, Valencian Community, Castilla y León, Galicia, La Rioja, Murcia and of course, Andalucia, but are new to Madrid.

As reported by the EWN, the prohibition of eating in the Metro and on intercity buses to reduce the risk of contagion of the coronavirus, thus avoiding that travellers have to remove their mask, is also coming into force before September.