Spain’s holiday islands Mallorca, Ibiza and Menorca looking forward to greater freedoms under first phase of lockdown de-escalation

MALLORCA, Ibiza and Menorca are looking forward to enjoying greater freedoms from Monday onwards, when the three islands join Formentera in phase one of the lockdown de-escalation.
This weekend Balearic Island government regional Health Minister Patricia Gomez clarified some of the key aspects of the Phase one regulations.
Gomez confirmed that residents will be able to move between municipalities on each island.
From tomorrow onwards people are able to stay in hotels or in tourist accommodation and to stay overnight in their second homes.
Another freedom under the first de-escalation phase is being able to enjoy a drink or a bite on a bar, cafe or restaurant terrace any time the establishment is open, always sticking to recommended distances between each other and in groups of no more than 10.
The regional minister explained that people are permitted to drive to bars, cafes and restaurants in any municipality and at any time.
Also it is now possible to drive to places of worship for religious ceremonies, although the number of people allowed inside at any one time is limited to 30 per cent and there must be a two-metre distance between worshippers.
Where the timetable according to age group for going out for an hour’s exercise or fresh air are concerned, Gomez said the Balearic administration had no plans to make any changes at this time.
Under Phase one the regional administrations have the flexibility of moving the slots forward or backwards by a couple of hours to take into account factors like the weather in each zone, keeping the total time period allocated to each age group for going out the same.
The regional minister took the opportunity to remind people that while there will be less restrictions on movement and activities in this new phase of the de-escalation, it does not mean that people should lower their guard.
“On Monday we take another step towards the new normality. However the pandemic has not been beaten, and we cannot relax,” she warned.
“Only half the country is in Phase one. The virus is still among us.”
Gomez issued a reminder of the three keys for preventing Covid-19 infection: masks, hand-washing and social distancing.