Fiona Govan
RESTRICTIONS at hospitality and entertainment venues will be lifted in the Madrid region from Monday October 4.
For the first time since the pandemic began in March 2020, there will be no limits on the number of people who can gather to socialise in Spain’s capital.
All capacity restrictions will be lifted including at theatres, cinemas, nightclubs and sport venues.
Madrid regional premier Isabel Díaz Ayuso, from the conservative Popular Party (PP), announced the move on Wednesday evening.
“Starting Monday, we are going to get rid of all the restrictions on capacity and we are practically a step away from how it was before the pandemic,” she said.
Madrid already lifted restrictions on opening hours on September 20 meaning late night bars and nightclubs have been able to return to their usual practice of staying open long into the night.
But there was a cap on the number of people allowed indoors at 75% of the usual capacity while groups were limited to a maximum of six people per table indoors and ten on terraces.
The only requirement that will remain in place is the need for facemasks to be worn in indoor spaces and outdoors where social distancing of 1.5metres cannot be maintained.
It is no surprise that Madrid is the first of Spain’s regions to lift restrictions.
Even when it had the highest infection rate in Spain, Ayuso maintained the minimum of restrictions arguing that damage to the economy should be taken into consideration alongside heath risks.
Her stance frequently put her right-wing administration on a collision course with the central government led by Socialist (PSOE) Pedro Sanchez in a left wing coalition with Podemos.
