The government of Spain decided to lift some of its coronavirus lockdown measures on Monday. However, opposition parties warn the public about an "imprudent" loosening of the rules.
Loosening the coronavirus lockdown measures in Spain means its construction and factory workers will return to work on first day of the week.
The administration has allowed some factories to operate again, and construction work has been permitted to resume. These sectors were forced to halt their production two weeks ago.
However, government officials emphasize that the country should continue to act in lockdown mode. The closure of bars, schools, restaurants and other services is still in effect. The rest of the public are expected to stay at home.
This decision has been questioned by the government's political opponents, at a time when Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez seeks a “great pact” to strengthen the economy.
“We must start the de-escalation in political tension now and give way to unity, dialogue, consensus and agreement as soon as possible,” Sanchez said Sunday.
“We need a great pact for the economic and social reconstruction of our country,” the prime minister added.
The Spanish government is headed by Sanchez’s Socialist party and the anti-austerity group Unidas Podemos. They have garnered enough parliamentary support in January due to the abstention of smaller parties. The administration is also facing conflicts with regional governments, including in Catalonia.
Over 166,000 people in Spain had been tested positive of coronavirus, with 17,209 deaths nationwide, on Monday, based on the data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Spain has reported the most cases of the coronavirus in Europe. The country is second-only to the U.S. for the total number of infections.
The government’s decision to allow factories and construction businesses to resume has been criticized. They said it is an “imprudence” and “temerity” to loosen some of the lockdown policies.
The pandemic has already hit the Spanish economy hard. Unemployment claims increased by 302,265 last month, according to the Spanish labour ministry. This represents a 9.31% increase from February.
Italy to reopen shops from Tuesday
Meanwhile, Italy reported 19,989 deaths on Sunday. This signifies a daily rise of 431 deaths from the previous day and the lowest daily hike since March 19.
Moreover, the number of coronavirus infections soared to 156,363 as of Sunday evening, the third highest globally.
The government announced on Friday that the present lockdown measures are still in effect until May 3. However, bookshops, stationers and children’s clothes shops can start operating again from Tuesday.
However, factories are not yet allowed to open their doors.
France reports low death toll
France reported a decline in COVID-19 death toll on the previous 24 hours. The total number of coronavirus fatalities in France is now 14,393, according to the health ministry.
The health ministry said that there were 315 deaths reported in hospital over the last day, compared with 345 the day earlier. This figure covers those who have passed away in nursing homes.
