How does this new coronavirus state of alert work in Spain and what is the curfew?

Spain has already experienced a second state of alarm. After the application in mid-March 2020 and after several extensions approved by the Congress of Deputies that required an entire quarter to be quarantined, a new one came.

This was announced by Pedro Sánchez, President of the Government, on Sunday, October 25, who outlined the main points of a proposal that This is valid until May 9. The BOE published on Sunday, October 25, regulates everything previously explained by the President of the Government. READ THE BOO HERE

Curfew: how it is applied

The government approves its application to all of Spain, with the exception of the Canary Islands, and generally regulates it between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. Sánchez clarifies that, however “the autonomous communities will be the ones to regulate the time frame”. “This way it could be brought forward (from 10 p.m., as Castilla y León applies, for example) or from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m. or 7 a.m..”

EXCEPTIONS: During the period between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., people may only enter roads or places for public use to carry out the following activities:

• a) Purchase of medicines, health products and other essential goods.
• b) Assistance to health centers, services and institutions.
• c) Assistance to veterinary care centers for urgent reasons.
• d) Fulfillment of employment, professional, business, institutional or legal obligations.
• e) Return to usual place of residence after performing some of the activities described in this section.
• f) Assistance and care for the elderly, minors, dependents, people with disabilities or particularly vulnerable people.
• g) Due to force majeure or emergency.
• h) Any other activity of a similar nature, duly accredited.
• i) Refueling at gas stations or filling stations, if necessary to carry out the activities mentioned in the previous paragraphs.

Sanchez explains “Meetings are limited to six people unless they live together” while asking for outings to be kept to the bare minimum.

Restriction of movement between communities

He explained that “The Communities can decide to limit the entry and exit of their territory. From the community or from a lower territorial area. There will also be exceptions, such as health reasons or the fulfillment of work obligations.

The entry and exit of people from the territory of any autonomous community and any city with a statute of autonomy is restricted, except for those movements, duly justified, that take place for one of the following reasons:

EXCEPTIONS:

• a) Assistance to health centers, services and institutions.
• b) Fulfillment of employment, professional, business, institutional or legal obligations.
• c) Assistance to universities, education and training centers, including pre-primary schools.
• d) Return to habitual residence or family home.
• e) Assistance and care for the elderly, minors, dependents, people with disabilities or particularly vulnerable people.
• f) Travel to financial and insurance institutions or service stations in adjacent areas.
• g) Required or urgent actions before public, judicial or notarial authorities.
• h) Renewals of permits and official documentation, as well as other administrative procedures that cannot be postponed.
• i) Completion of examinations or official tests that cannot be postponed.
• j) Due to force majeure or emergency.
• k) Any other activity of a similar nature, duly accredited

2. Without prejudice to the provisions of the previous paragraph, the corresponding delegated competent authority may, in addition, restrict the entry and exit of people in territorial areas of a geographically inferior nature to the autonomous community and city with the status of autonomy, with the exceptions given in the previous part. 3. Transit traffic through the territorial areas is not subject to any restrictions.

Until when will it be applied

That is what the Prime Minister has said “The government’s intent is to apply the state of alert until May 9 if Congress approves it.” To this end, it asks for the consensus of all parliamentary groups to allow this regulation, which is governed by the Constitution, to be reviewed every 15 days. However, Sánchez qualifies that “if the situation improves, it will be adjusted.

At this time and until the approval of the Cortes Generales, “the state of alarm declared by this Royal Decree ended at 00:00 on November 9, 2020, without prejudice to any extensions”.

four alarm levels

Sánchez explained that “four risk levels were defined for each territorial unit. This defines a kind of traffic light. The first indicator is the number of detected cases per 100,000 inhabitants in the last 14 days.”