Laurence Dollimore
BARS and restaurants in Andalucia will likely be permitted to open until 8pm or 9pm from December 10.
That was the prediction made by regional vice president Juan Marin on Tuesday, speaking at a tourism conference in Sevilla.
Marin said that non-essential businesses, which currently have to close to customers at 6pm, will ‘probably’ be allowed to open until 8pm or 9pm after this period of restrictions ends.
It comes after the region ruled it would be maintaining its current coronavirus measures for another 15 days on Sunday.
The restrictions, which include the 10pm to 7am curfew, are reviewed every two weeks, meaning on midnight December 10, they will either continue, be loosened or made stricter.
It comes as the infection rate in the southernmost region has been declining for the past week or so.
More importantly, hospital pressure has also finally started to ease.
On Monday, almost twice as many people overcame the virus in Andalucia than were infected by it.
However president Juanma Moreno said the figures are still too high to begin lifting restrictions.
It means the next two weeks will be crucial in determining what measures are lifted or loosened from December 10.
Moreno has repeatedly stated that the main goal of the Junta is to save the Christmas period as much as possible.
But he made it clear that the health of the people will always come first and that the experts ‘will have the last word.’
