The people’s paper ISSUE NO. 1815
HOPE HORIZON
16 - 22 April 2020
A SMALL but significant sense of normality is being restored in Spain as the government eases the lockdown and allows millions of ‘non-essential’ workers back to work. The move comes as Spain records its lowest number of Covid-19 cases in three weeks, falling to 3,477. Construction, factory and shipyard workers can return to work after a fortnight ban, as can cleaners, sanitation and security employees among others. Ghostly quiet towns and cities will see more activity as an estimated 1.7 million people head back to work. Supermarkets are noticeably busier after closures for the Easter period, while shoppers are still taking recommended precautions,
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and there appears to be a rise in road traffic. While chemists, supermarkets, petrol stations, tobacconists and launderettes have stayed open through the State of Alarm, bars, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs have remained closed, and there are no immediate plans to change this. Though the lift of the ‘industrial lockdown’ has been welcomed by many, there are concerns it’s still too early. The President of the Catalan government, Quim Torra, is not in favour of Spain’s executive’s deci-
sion, but with no power to block the move, put forward a plan to ease a potential negative impact. Some of these measures include checking the temperatures of workers twice a day, with the health services alerted in any case of an increase in temperature. On Monday morning,
RETURNING TO WORK: Hopes of some sense of normality.
FREE • GRATIS police in Madrid were handing out protective masks to commuters returning to work ‘who have no alternative means of transport.’ Other measures to ease the country out of lockdown include increasing the frequency of public transport by a third while ensuring a minimum distance of 1.5 metres between passengers at any bus stops or train platforms. The Catalan government intends to stagger movements by introducing shifts and to provide workers who may come into close contact with each other with personal protection equipment. These precautionary measures may well be adopted across the country.