SHRIEKS of joy rang out yesterday in the streets of Spain as children were allowed to leave their homes for the first time in six weeks.
The sound of children shouting and the rattle of bikes on the pavement after the 44-day seclusion of Spain’s youngest citizens offered a first taste of a gradual return to normal life in the country.
Spain has the second-highest number of confirmed coronavirus infections of any country, behind only the United States.
“This is wonderful! I can’t believe it has been six weeks,” Susana Sabate, a mother of three-year-old twin boys, said in Barcelona.
“My boys are very active. Today, when they saw the front door and we gave them their scooters, they were thrilled.”
Wary of igniting new infection flare-ups, nations around the world have been taking different paths on when to reopen their economies after weeks at a standstill under coronavirus lockdowns.
Spain, Italy and France, which have Europe’s highest death tolls from the virus, all imposed tough lockdown rules in March. All have reported significant progress in bringing down infection rates and are ready, warily, to start giving their citizens more freedom.
“Maximum caution will be our guideline for the rollback,” Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez said Saturday, as he announced that Spaniards will be allowed to leave their homes for short walks and exercise starting on May 2.
“We must be very prudent because there is no manual, no road map to follow.”
So far, Spanish adults were allowed out only for essential shopping or to go to work that cannot be done from home.
Children under 14 have been in complete seclusion, but as of Sunday they were allowed to take walks with one parent for up to an hour.
They must be within one kilometre of their homes, take only one toy with them, and are not allowed to play with other children.
Authorities recommend that parents and children wash their hands before and after outings.
Sanchez will present a detailed plan tomorrow for the “de-escalation” of the lockdown over the coming weeks.
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