Laurence Dollimore
CASTILLA y Leon has ordered for the closure of Salamanca following a surge in coronavirus cases.
The regional health minister Veronica Casado announced a package of measures which will be in force from Saturday at 00:00.
These include a maximum of six people at friend or family meet-ups, banning of smoking on restaurant/bar terraces and the banning of ordering/eating at the bar.
Salamanca has now reached an incidence rate of 504 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the past 14 days.
It is also seeing 10% its PCR tests coming back positive while its intensive care units are more than 35% occupied by coronavirus patients.
It means the city surpasses all three thresholds laid out by the central government for determining whether municipalities of more than 100,000 people should revert to lockdown measures.
Salamanca is the third city in the region to revert to stricter rules, which includes the closure of its borders, following Leon and Palencia.
The measures include the following:
- Entry and exit into the city will be restricted and only allowed for just causes (work, health, legal or educational reasons).
- Roads will not be closed and travel is permitted through the city from an outside town, as long as the vehicle starts and ends its journey outside the affected area
- Family and social gatherings cannot exceed six people, unless the people meeting live with each other
- Shops and commercial centres must not exceed 50% capacity and must close at 10pm
- Bars, restaurants and other hotel establishments, as well as gambling and betting shops can open until 11pm (but must not allow in more customers after 10pm)
- The maximum capacity will be 50% indoors and 60% outdoors while eating/drinking at the bar will be banned
- There can be no more than six people per table
- Sports facilities cannot exceed 50% capacity indoors and 60% outdoors
- Sports practice will be limited to a maximum of six people
- Places of worship will have a maximum capacity of a third, while wakes cannot exceed 15 people (10 if indoors), regardless of whether they live together
