On Saturday, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced that the country would reopen its borders to tourists in July.
This marks the second wave in the easing of lockdown regulations for Spain after it underwent one of the strictest lockdowns in the world in mid-March.
Sanchez also added that its top soccer division will kick off again in June.
“From July, foreign tourism will resume in safe conditions. We will guarantee tourists will not take any risks and will not bring us any risks,” Sanchez said in a televised news conference, without providing further details.
During lockdown, Spaniards were allowed to go to work if they couldn’t work remotely, to seek health care, or to assist the elderly and others in need. All schools, restaurants, bars and nonessential stores were ordered to close and any violators were fined by law enforcement.
In March alone, the country saw close to a million jobs lost with the nation’s central bank predicting an economic contraction of up to 12% this year.
In response, Spain’s far-right Vox party called thousands of supporters to protest the current left-wing government’s handling of the pandemic and in particular, the economic fallout.
Leader of Vox party, Santiago Abascal urged followers to drive to central Madrid in their cars and motorbikes. “Let your desire be heard for the resignation of the government. It is time to make a big noise against the government of unemployment and misery that has abandoned our self-employed and workers,” he said.
More protests were held in Barcelona, Seville and other provincial capitals.
As of May 24, Spain has recorded 282,370 cases. The country’s overnight death toll rose by 48 bringing the total to 28,678. This marks the seventh consecutive day that the fatality rate has stayed under 100.
A 10-day period of national mourning for victims will start on Tuesday.
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