Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S health minister, Salvador Illa, has issued a blunt warning that relaxations of curfew and travel rules for Christmas could be changed if coronavirus cases continue to climb.
The government last week agreed on a package of relaxations for the festive season with the country’s regional administrations.
That includes travel between regions for family members, the curfew start-time being pushed back to 1.30am for a few days, and up to ten family members allowed to meet at home or at a restaurant.
Speaking today(December 7), Salvador Illa said: “If infection rates worsen in the coming weeks, then the measures for the Christmas period will be toughened.”
The relaxations are already subject to different regions adapting them according to the situation in their own areas.
“If the measures that we have agreed with the regions are followed and mask-wearing, social distancing and hand hygiene recommendations are followed, then things will go well,” Illa added.
“If the rules are not followed, there will be more infections, more admissions to ICUs and a rise in deaths.”
Illa revealed that the government is preparing some ‘random controls’ to ensure that the law is observed but was forced to admit that ‘you cannot put a policeman in every house’.
