Puig announces the closure of Valencian Community borders

On Friday at midday the Valencian Community will close its borders for seven days – 31 municipalities get extra restrictions.

The president of the Valencian Community, Ximo Puig, has announced the closure of territorial borders in a TV briefing this evening.

Residents may still move anywhere within the autonomous community, but after 12pm midday tomorrow, Friday, they may not leave without justified cause.

REMINDER: The Valencian Community comprises the three provinces of Castellón, Valencia and Alicante. It is bordered by Cataluña, Aragón, Castilla-La Mancha and Murcia.

It comes as 11 regions in Spain have closed their territorial borders, as well Madrid’s decision to close territorial borders during the upcoming bank holiday weekend. Read more about border closures here.

The exceptions for people wishing to enter or exit the Valencian Community will become clear when published in the Diari Oficial de Valencia tomorrow.

Here is a list of 10 exceptions outlined in Spain’s nationwide state of alarm royal decree.

Figures

Puig celebrated the Valencian Community has one of the best track and trace systems in place, with the addition of 300 military personnel.

In fact, the region went for 25 days with the lowest accumulated incidence in Spain, as BayRadio has reported.

Puig celebrated the Community still has the lowest accumulated incidence on mainland Spain – however, he said ‘we can’t let the figures get any worse’.

“Throughout all this, we are trying to protect the health of the elderly,” Puig said this evening, “and we can’t any wait longer to save lives.”

He said Valencianos needed a new ‘chip’ and a new ‘mentality’.

He said the public should not be guided by fear, but for looking out for public health collectively.

“We are not in a state of siege or a state of lockdown. Citizens can go out and circulate throughout the Community, as long as the announced measures are complied with,” declared Ximo Puig.

He said residents are free to travel within the Community – unlike Murcia, which has locked the borders of each municipality – but said localised border closures are not ‘off the table’.

Restrictions

Health Councillor Ana Barceló announced following Puig’s speech that 31 of municipalities will be given extra restrictions tomorrow.

Affected municipalities include:

• Castellón. Morella, Nules, Onda and Vinarós
• Valencia. Algemesí and Guadassuar.
• Alicante. Albatera, Algorfa, Almoradí, Benejúzar, Benferri, Bigastro, Callosa de Segura, Catral, Cox, Crevillent, Daya Nueva, Daya Vieja, Dolores,Elche, Elda, Granja de Rocamora, Ibi, Jacarilla, Muro de Alcoi, Orihuela city, Petrer, Pinoso, Rafal, Redován and San Isidro.

A full list of measures can be found in the Diari Oficial de la Generalitat Valenciana here. Below is an English translation:

1. Measures related to wakes and burials.
   1.1. Wakes may be held in all types of facilities, public or private, limiting their capacity to 30% with a maximum limit, at any given time, of 25 people in outdoor spaces or 15 people in closed spaces, whether or not they are living together, and provided that the safety distance can be guaranteed.
   1.2. Participation in the entourage for the burial or dismissal for cremation of the deceased person is restricted to a maximum of 25 people in outdoor spaces or 15 people in closed spaces, among family members and close friends, in addition to, where appropriate, the minister or person for the practice of the funeral rites of farewell to the deceased person.
2. Measures related to celebrations.
   2.1 Ceremonies may be held in all types of facilities, public or private, either in open air or closed spaces, provided that 30% of their capacity is not exceeded with a maximum of 30 people.
   2.2. The celebrations that may take place after the ceremony and that involve some type of hotel and restaurant service, will be adjusted to the provisions of this agreement.
3. Measures related to retail establishments, commercial premises and professional service activities that are not part of shopping centres and parks.
   3.1. Establishments, retail business premises and professional services activities, regardless of their display and sales area, must reduce the total capacity in establishments and premises to 30%. In the case of establishments or premises distributed over several floors, the presence of customers in each of them must keep this same capacity.
   3.2. In the case of markets that carry out their activity on public roads in the open air or for non-sedentary sales (flea markets), up to a maximum of 50% of the stalls usually authorised may be installed, alternatively increasing the available space, by in such a way as to produce an equivalent effect to ensure that the safety distance is maintained and crowds are avoided.
4. Measures related to shopping centres and parks.
   4.1. Shopping centres and parks, including their common and recreational areas, must guarantee compliance with the following requirements: a) That it be limited to 30% of the capacity in each of the establishments and commercial premises located in them. b) Clients will not be allowed to stay in common areas, including rest areas, except for mere transit between commercial establishments. c) Recreational areas such as playgrounds or similar must be closed.
   4.2. The provisions of this section will not apply to the hotel and restaurant business that takes place in these common areas, which will be governed by the rules established for the hotel and restaurant business in this resolution.
5. Measures related to the hotel and restaurant establishments.
   5.1. Consumption inside the premises may not exceed 30% of the capacity. And consumption on the terraces may not exceed 50% of the capacity.
   5.2. Self-service or buffet services are not allowed.
6. Measures related to hotels and tourist accommodation.
   6.1. The common areas of hotels and tourist accommodation may not exceed 30% of their capacity.
   6.2. For restaurant services, it will be as described in the point that orders the measures of hotel and restaurant establishments.
   6.3. Accommodations that offer collective rooms: people belonging to different cohabitation groups will not be able to spend the night in the same room.
7. Measures relating to libraries and archives. In libraries, both public and private, cultural and study activities may be carried out provided that 50% of their capacity is not exceeded.
   
8. Measures relating to museums and exhibition halls. Museums and exhibition halls, of any ownership and management, can host both public visits and cultural, educational activities, conferences, workshops and concerts, provided that 50% of the authorised capacity for each of the closed rooms and spaces is not exceeded.
   
9. Measures related to visits and other cultural activities in monuments and other cultural facilities. Monuments and other cultural facilities will be accessible to the public for individual visits, for those with friends or for groups of up to six people, provided that 50% of the authorised capacity is not exceeded.
   
10. Measures relating to cinemas, theatres, auditoriums, tent circuses and similar spaces, and venues and establishments for cultural events and outdoor shows.
    10.1. Cinemas, theatres, auditoriums, tent circuses and similar closed spaces may carry out their activity with the public seated and provided that 50% of the authorised capacity in each closed space is not exceeded. It is recommended not to eat or drink inside the rooms. The tickets must be numbered and the seats pre-assigned with identification of the people who occupy them.
    10.2. In the case of venues and establishments where outdoor events and shows are held, the public must remain seated and 50% of the authorised capacity may not be exceeded.
11. Measures related to non-professional or federated sports activity.
    11.1 Inside sports facilities, outside the scope regulated by the Higher Sports Council, 30% of the capacity may not be exceeded, guaranteeing ventilation. In group activities the maximum will be six people.
    11.2. The use of changing rooms or showers will not be allowed.
    11.3. Competitions and sporting events will be held without public.
12. Measures related to tourist guide activities. The activities will preferably be arranged by appointment and the groups will be of a maximum of 6 people.
    
13. Measures related to tourist recreational centers, zoos and aquariums. Recreational resorts, zoos, and aquariums may open to the public up to the 50% capacity limit in indoor and outdoor facilities.
14. Measures related to congresses, meetings, business meetings, conferences and events.
    14.1. The holding of congresses, meetings, business meetings, conferences and events promoted by any public or private entity, will be carried out without exceeding 30% of the capacity in each of the congress halls, conference rooms. or multipurpose, and other similar establishments and facilities, including those of the Valencian Community fair institutions.
    14.2. The provisions of the previous point will also apply to the realisation, by individuals and legal entities, public and private, of informative and dissemination activities and workshops in the field of scientific and technical research, development and innovation, aimed at all types of public, and whose objective is the learning and dissemination of content related to R & D & i.
15. Measures related to premises and establishments in which gambling and betting activities take place. Activities may take place in casinos, collective money and gambling establishments, gambling halls, arcades, raffles and raffles, specific betting shops and other premises and facilities similar to those of recreational gaming and betting activities as established by the Sectoral regulations on gambling, as long as 1/3 of the authorized capacity in each of the rooms is not exceeded. The maximum occupancy of each table will be 6 people.
16. Measures related to recreational pools.
    16.1. Swimming pools for recreational use, hotel pools, tourist accommodation and urbaniaation pools must respect the limit of 1/3 of their capacity for closed pools and 50% in outdoor pools both in terms of access and to recreational practice.
    16.2. You will not be able to use the showers or water fountains.
17. Measures related to academies, driving schools and non-regulated educational centres. The activity carried out in these centres may be taught in person as long as 1/3 of the maximum allowed capacity is not exceeded.
18. Measures related to centers for the elderly and people with disabilities.
    18.1. Restriction of visits to residential centres: Visits will be suspended, maintaining only: – Those strictly necessary for health reasons. – Accompaniment in a situation of imminent death. – Those for the relief of neurocognitive decompensation when considered by the healthcare team. – Visits to residents with resolved infection in the last 3 months, taking extreme precautionary measures. The approach of relatives may be authorised by appointment for visual contact, without physical contact and with the maximum prevention measures against COVID-19 And whenever possible in outdoor spaces In no case will people with symptoms be allowed to enter respiratory symptoms or fever.
    18.2. The activity of day centres for the elderly, specialised centres for the elderly (CEAM), comprehensive centres for the elderly (CIM), and homes / clubs for the elderly are suspended, regardless of their ownership and type of management .

Barceló said the extra restrictions will be in place for 14 days, awaiting review.