State of emergency - Limited freedom of movement

[Sam]

State of emergency - Limited freedom of movement

The Council of Ministers has approved a Royal Decree declaring the State of Emergency for the management of the health crisis situation caused by Coronavirus, whose main measures, applicable throughout Spain, limit freedom of movement.

During the validity of the State of Emergency (fifteen days extendable), citizens may only circulate through public use routes "individually" for the following activities:

Acquisition of food, pharmaceuticals and basic necessities; assistance to health centres or financial entities; go to work; return to habitual residence; take care of the elderly, minors, dependents, people with disabilities or especially vulnerable people.

In addition, circulation is permitted due to force majeure or a situation of need or any other activity of an analogous nature duly justified.

Private vehicles may circulate only to carry out the permitted activities. Interior may order the closure of roads or sections thereof for reasons of public health.

The ministers of defence, interior, transport and health will be the competent authorities for the application of these measures.

The members of all the security forces and bodies (of the state, autonomous communities and local corporations) are under the direct orders of the interior ministry.

All authorities, officials and personnel in the field of health throughout Spain are under the direct orders of the Ministry of Health.

The competent authorities will ensure that private health and military health can strengthen the national health system throughout Spain.

The Minister of Health may issue orders to ensure the supply of products necessary for the protection of public health.

The Minister of Health may intervene and temporarily occupy industries, factories or premises, including those of private health and the pharmaceutical industry.

The competent authorities shall take the necessary measures to guarantee food supply, production and distribution.

Sanitary corridors may be established to guarantee supply, as well as production centres.

The mobilization of state security forces and bodies and the armed forces may be ordered to ensure supply.

The necessary measures will be adopted to guarantee the supply of electricity, petroleum products and natural gas.

The supply of public transport is cut in half.

Closing of the hospitality open to the public

The opening of bars, restaurants, discotheques, cultural and leisure facilities, sports venues, amusement parks, auditoriums is suspended to the public, and festivals, parades and popular festivals or folkloric demonstrations in open venues and public roads are prohibited.

Those who can open

The permanence in commercial establishments that may remain open (food, pharmacies, gas stations, medical centers, hairdressers, dry cleaners, opticians, orthopedics, pet food stores, technology ...) will be strictly necessary, avoiding crowds and maintaining the safety distance of at least one meter.

Ceremonies and education

Attendance at places of worship, civil and religious ceremonies, including funerals, is not prohibited, but is conditional on avoiding crowds and ensuring a safe distance of at least one meter.

Educational activity suspended at all stages.



UPDATE:

The PM of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, assured that it will be possible to travel between Islands following the stipulations of the royal decree of the alarm declaration, which limits the movement of people.

"If a citizen lives in Gran Canaria and has a sick family member in Tenerife, they can go to take care of him", but he will not be able to fly "to see a friend" or to "enjoy a party because, unfortunately, it will not take place while it lasts the state of alarm ”, gave as examples the President of the Government.

Asked about the specific case of the Canary Islands during the press conference that he offered tonight in La Moncloa, the Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, stressed that the extraordinary measures approved this Saturday are for all of Spain.

"We are not acting on the territories, we are acting on the citizens," stressed the Prime Minister.

Sánchez has specified that the restrictions on the movement of citizens have several exceptions, such as transfers to buy food, medicine and basic necessities, go to a health service, go to work or take care of a family member or dependent person, among others.

Air traffic in Spain will be reduced in the next few days by around 50 percent with the measures established in the state of alarm decree to contain the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, also on the lines that serve the Canary Islands.


Courtesy of Diario de Fuerteventura.

[windermeregolfer]

Armas Ferry's  have not updated their website yet (Saturday 14/3 21.00hrs) with any information on whether the ferry to the mainland will be running so we are visiting their office Sunday before the Monday lock down to check as we are booked to travel 25/3.

What I find strange about the rules for those places that can keep open is if you can go the the hairdressers or opticians how can you keep a meter separation?

[Sam]

Armas Ferry's  have not updated their website yet (Saturday 14/3 21.00hrs) with any information on whether the ferry to the mainland will be running so we are visiting their office Sunday before the Monday lock down to check as we are booked to travel 25/3.

What I find strange about the rules for those places that can keep open is if you can go the the hairdressers or opticians how can you keep a meter separation?

Not sure why hairdressers are exempt TBH. Strange indeed.

[Sam]

The Council of Ministers, after a meeting of more than seven hours, approved this Saturday the declaration of a state of alarm throughout the territory to contain the Coronavirus pandemic, with measures severely restricting the movement of people and economic activity, except force majeure cases. The alarm status has been in effect since its publication on Saturday night.

The royal decree to contain the spread of COVID-19 establishes limitations on the movement -except for going to work, buying food or medicine, going to hospitals or caring for the elderly or dependent people- and commercial activity, allows the State to assume competences from other administrations and have public, private and military health facilities.

The State will assume the status of "competent authority" throughout the territory, all the State security forces will be under "the direct orders" of the Interior Minister, and all public, private and military health facilities will be under the direction of the head. of Health.

The alarm status decree limits movements to force majeure as of Saturday night and, for those allowed, it is established that crowds must be avoided and that a "safety distance of at least one meter" must be maintained for avoid contagion.

The displacements allowed will be those necessary to go to work, return to the usual place of residence, buy food or medicine, go to hospitals or care for the elderly or dependent people, and travel to financial entities.

In the chapter dedicated to "containment measures in the field of commercial activity", the text specifies that the permanence in commercial establishments the opening of which is permitted - the 315,000 catering and hospitality establishments will close - must be strictly necessary so that consumers can purchase food and basic necessities. "

And it specifies that "agglomerations will be avoided and consumers and employees will be controlled to maintain the safety distance of at least one meter in order to avoid possible contagion."

Attendance at places of worship and civil and religious ceremonies, "including funerals," he stresses, "are conditional on the adoption of organizational measures" that avoid crowds "in such a way as to guarantee attendees the possibility of respecting the distance between them of at least one meter. "

The safety distance must also be maintained in the means of transport, so that only a third of the maximum available places can be put up for sale, underlines the decree.

Alarm status decree by Diario de Lanzarote on Scribd

"Very difficult weeks"

The Prime Minister has asked regional presidents to leave behind their differences regardless of ideologies and political colours and has predicted "very difficult weeks" of "efforts and sacrifices". "The first victory" in the fight against the pandemic, he added, will come when "the curve" of infections does not go up in the form of an "arrow", but rather "more slowly".

The measures of the state of alarm have been reported in a day in which the positives for Coronavirus in Spain have reached 5,753 cases, according to the morning balance of the Ministry of Health, although later the regional administrations have updated the data with more cases. The morning balance represents an increase of 1,522 infected people compared to Friday afternoon.

As for the deceased, the figure rises to almost 200: those confirmed by Health, later the Community of Madrid increased the figure in the region in more than 50 cases, and more deaths occurred in other regions. Meanwhile, there are 517 patients cured and released.

The greatest number of positive cases for COVID-19 is detected in the regions of Madrid (2,940 cases) and Catalonia (509), and there are positives in all regions of Spain, except in the autonomous city of Ceuta. In the Canary Islands there are 82 active cases.

Duration of alarm state

The limitations approved by the Government will have a duration of fifteen days, which may be extended for another two weeks with the approval of the Congress of Deputies and also have other exceptions.

The meeting of the Council of Ministers began at 10.30 am this Saturday and an appearance by the Prime Minister was announced in the early afternoon to explain the details of the decree, but the debate on the content of the measures of the state of alarm was It has lasted until after six in the afternoon.

The second vice-president of the Government, Pablo Iglesias, attended the meeting in person, although he had announced that he would remain in quarantine after the positive in Coronavirus of his partner, the minister Irene Montero, which has provoked criticism from leaders of the opposition parties .

Government sources explained that Iglesias had decided to go to Moncloa because the telematic means necessary to participate from his home had not been enabled and he saw it necessary to defend more forceful measures in person to protect workers in the event of a health emergency.

The duration of the meeting has led Pedro Sánchez to postpone until Sunday morning the video conference with the regional presidents that he planned to hold on Saturday afternoon.

Courtesy of Diario de Fuerteventura.

[Cotillo_Tom]

Update on GOV.UK.

---

Spain travel advice
Change made
The FCO advises against all travel to Spain due to restrictions put in place by the Spanish government in response to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19) (Summary and Health page)
Time updated
12:20am, 15 March 2020


NB: Intended for those still in UK but hopeful of travelling here sometime soon.  I presume that all airlines will pretty soon cancel all flights here. 

[Sam]

A bit of clarity and good news for dog owners.

PM Sanchez says, walking dogs comes within the definition of necessity. The dogs/pets should be on lead, the walk essential and as short as possible. Also walking in groups is a NO NO, obviously.

Stay safe and well everyone.

[windermeregolfer]

Facebook video from HM Consulate in Madrid - 

[Emmi Smith]

I read somewhere ? that all beaches would also be shut off. Yet I see from my top terrace this morning, people walking around and seems even the life guard is on duty!  Confused??

[windermeregolfer]

There appears to be some confusion as to when part of the Order come into effect, last midnight and 8am tomorrow, Monday 16/3 my take is it all came into effect at midnight.

There were golfers on the golf course but the gate from the 16th to the 17th is locked so they couldn't complete their round.

[milestone11]

If they're still allowing international flights, does that rather not defeat the object of the lockdown? It is utterly ridiculous allowing these to continue.