Spain Opens Beaches and Eases Rules in Madrid, Barcelona

(Bloomberg) --

Spain’s government has moved the country’s two largest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, to the second phase of the national lockdown easing plan.

The entire country has now moved out of preliminary phase of plan to lift lockdown, Health Minister Salvador Illa said in a press conference Friday. Large chunks of the country, including parts of the region of Catalonia and Andalusia, moved into the third phase, Illa said. About 53% of the country’s population is now in the second phase and the rest in the third phase, he said.

While the government made the announcement Friday, the regions will officially be moved into the new phases on May 25.

The third phase allows the opening of shopping centers, at limited capacity. Bars and restaurants are allowed to start serving indoors and cinemas and theaters can open with restrictions on numbers of people. In this phase, the government also allows the opening of beaches.

In Madrid and Barcelona, the second phase rules allow jogging and cycling at certain times while bars and restaurants can serve in outdoors.

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