On Tuesday evening, Spanish Prime minister indicated that the nation would begin the de-escalation process as it relates to the confinement measures. The decision comes amid a downsizing number of both new confirmed cases and deaths.
The plan mirrors the one announced by Italy last week as it applies to athletes.
The transition to a “new normality,” as Sanchez has qualified the current situation, will last between six and eight weeks’ time.
The de-escalation process will be gradual, asymmetric, and coordinated. At the same time, four different phases will be contemplated in the path to such new normality:
- Phase 0, which will begin May 4, will allow for professional athletes to train individually alongside outdoor exercise and going for a walk will also be allowed so long as they’re performed individually. Individual lessons will also be permitted in gyms.
- Phase 1 would allow High-Performance Centers and amateur sports will be allowed to resume.
- During Phase 2, leisure places such as museums and others will be allowed to reopen at one-third of their capacity.
- Phase 3 will be “the advanced phase,” with public areas such as theaters or cinemas housing fifty percent of their regular capacity at a minimum distance of two meters (six feet).
The different phases are broken into fifteen-day timeframes as that reflects the average incubation period for COVID-19. Progress may vary from region to region, always depending on their respective infection rates.
“By the end of June, as a country, we will be in the new normality if the evolution of the epidemic is under control in all territories,” Sanchez added.
Just last week, the Spanish Sports Association proposed a plan through which the nation’s sports world could soon return to normalcy.
The plan, coined the term Spanish Sport Reconstruction and Activation Plan, Plan de Reconstrucción y Activación del Deporte Español, encompassed a total of 23 measures and 56 recommendations.
On April 13, Spain began lifting the national lockdown as the number of new cases decreased. Some non-essential services have started coming back to life as the nation neared the one-month-mark since the lockdown order became effective.
Spain has reported a total of 232,128 infections and 23,822 deaths, with 123,903 alleged recoveries, according to the website worldometers.info. The nation has been on national lockdown since March 15.
Similar to Spain, in Italy, all athletes recognized as being of national interest by the Italian Olympic Committee (CONI) or Italian Paralympic Committee (CIP) can begin training May 4, with further openings for lower level athletes allowed on May 18th.
Italy remains the European nation with the highest death toll due to the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for 201,505 infections and 27,359 deaths. Another 68,941 have reportedly recovered from the virus.