Madrid finally enters phase 1 of lockdown de-escalation

See which Spanish territories enter Phase 1 and 2 today

As of today, 25 May all territories of Spain will be in either Phase 1 or 2 of exiting lockdown, the government informs. Finally, the region of Madrid, one of the hardest-hit by the coronavirus pandemic, was allowed to alleviate some of the restrictions in force. This includes social gatherings, reopening of small businesses and hotels.

Madrid, parts of Castilla y León and Catalonia enter phase 1

The four stages of the de-escalation plan of Spain slowly come to an end. An important approval was given by the Ministry of Health on Friday, which allows the capital to enter the first phase of exiting lockdown today. Madrid will remain there last for at least seven days.

Entering phase one basically means that groups can finally gather at the same place, as long as their number does not exceed 10 people. The cafés are also allowed to open, at limited capacity, so are small businesses.

Hotels and accommodation establishments, too, can operate (excluding the restauration areas), places of worship, outdoor markets, cultural events and facilities may accept visitors, again at limited capacity. Non-contact and non-professional sports are allowed as well. All of this, while respecting social distancing, of course.

Phase 2 – the last but one to the new normal

Meanwhile, most territories that entered Phase one on 11 May have already stepped into phase two, which leaves them only one stage before completely exiting lockdown. This makes it so that a total of 47% of the population will be stepping into the most advanced stage to date.

This means increased capacity to accept visitors at the above-listed establishments, larger social gatherings (up to 15 people). Business meetings and conferences, malls and larger commercial centres can operate, too.

In hotels it will be possible to use the restauration areas at reduced capacity, including the internal part of restaurants. Swimming pools, sports centres, cinemas and theatres can also be visited.

The only region that will not move from Phase 1 to Phase 2 is Valencia which did not request approval to move forward and instead will be keeping its restrictions for about another week. As we explained earlier, Spanish regions are not equally affected by the spread of the new coronavirus, which motivated the government to adopt a case-by-case approach.

Map of phase 1 and 2 as of 25 May 2020. Illustration by the Government of Spain

Which cities and regions of Spain are in Phase 1 and 2?

The Spanish government has published a map indicating clearly which territories are now in one of the two active phases of the lockdown exit strategy. Here is a list of which territories are as of today 25 May in Phase one or Phase two:

Territories Entering Phase 1:

• Castilla y León: Ávila, Segovia, Soria, Burgos, Palencia, León, Zamora, Salamanca and Valladolid
• Catalonia: sanitary zones in the city of Barcelona, Metropolitana Sud and Metropolitana Nord (the metropolitan are of Barcelona).
• Madrid

Territories entering Phase 2:

• Andalusia: Almería, Córdoba, Cádiz, Huelva, Jaén and Seville
• Aragon: Huesca, Zaragoza and Teruel
• Asturias
• Balearic Islands: Ibiza, Menorca and Mallorca
• Canary Islands: Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and La Palma
• Cantabria
• Castilla-La Mancha: Guadalajara and Cuenca
• Catalonia: Campo de Tarragona, Alto Pirineo y Arán and Lands of the Ebro sanitary zones
• Extremadura: Cáceres and Badajoz.
• Galicia: Lugo, La Coruña, Orense and Pontevedra
• Murcia
• Navarre
• Basque Country: Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya and Álava
• The Rioja
• Ceuta
• Melilla

The progress of the de-escalation strategy is a good sign that Spain is returning to normalcy, or rather is going towards a “new normal.” The Government, however, has been particularly cautious so as not to allow a new wave of the coronavirus to paralyze its economy and healthcare system. Hence it is doing the process in small steps that depend on the performance of the regions against the key epidemiologic indicators.