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 of severe restriction on the movement of people and economic activity, except in cases of force majeure, starting on Monday.
The royal decree to contain the spread of COVID-19 establishes limitations on movement -except to go to work, buy food or medicine, go to hospitals or care for the elderly or dependent people- and commercial activity, allows the State to assume powers of other administrations and have public, private and military health resources available. It will enter into force at 8 in the morning on Monday, March 16.
The State will assume the condition of "competent authority" throughout the territory, all state security forces will be under the "direct orders" of the Minister of the Interior, and all public, private and military health resources will be under the direction of the head of Health.
The state of alarm decree limits travel to cases of force majeure 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 to avoid contagion.
Permitted travel will be that necessary to go to work, return to the place of habitual 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 whose opening is allowed -the 315,000 restaurant and hospitality establishments will close- must be strictly necessary so that consumers can purchase food and essential products.
And it specifies that "crowds will be avoided and it will be controlled that consumers and employees maintain a safety distance of at least one meter in order to avoid possible contagions."
Attendance at places of worship and civil and religious ceremonies, "including funerals", it emphasizes, "are conditioned to the adoption of organizational measures" that avoid crowds "in such a way that attendees are guaranteed the possibility of respecting the distance between them of at least one meter."
The safety distance must also be maintained in means of transport, so only one third of the maximum available places can be put on sale, the decree emphasizes.
The President of the Government has asked regional presidents to leave behind their differences regardless of ideologies and political colors 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 rise in the form of an "arrow", but in a "slower" way.
The measures of the state of alarm have been communicated on 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.
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