SPAIN'S government has apologised to the public for its 'delay' in shutting down all bar 'essential services', increasing the national confinement further – but says it was up again 'technical issues'.
Minister for work Yolanda Díaz says: “I'm conscious that many businesses and industries were worried and wanted to know how far the measures would affect them, and for that, I apologise.
“There's been no improvisation, and the move has not caused debate or conflict within Parliament, but the delay was due to technical, not legal, issues.
“The technical description of many sectors needed a bit of time spent on it,” she says, explaining that defining exactly what could be considered 'essential' and which businesses could feasibly be ordered to close was not a cut-and-dried exercise.
“I'm sorry about that, because I know perfectly well how much very legitimate concern was felt in many industries.
“This measure is necessary, however, so we can all get better and get out of this crisis as soon as possible – in the financial and social sense.
“We have no more tools at our disposal than that of simply staying in lockdown – although we're very conscious that this is extremely hard on us all.”
The announcement about the tightening of quarantine measures has inevitably led to speculation among the public as to what is open.
According to the State Official Bulletin (BOE), businesses and other public services considered 'essential' and which will continue – albeit subject to reduced hours in some cases – are medical, healthcare, care and pharmaceutical activities; transport of food and some goods and passengers; gas, water and electricity supply; establishments selling food, drink and other products of primary necessity; establishments selling pharmaceutical, hygiene, orthopaedic and optical products; newsagencies and other press outlets, including stationers'; tobacconists; laundrettes and dry-cleaners'; establishments selling food and other essentials for animals – and, of course, vets; petrol, oil and diesel refineries, service stations and other fuel distributors; telecommunications operators and physical shops, and establishments selling or repairing technological and telecommunications equipment; ports and airports; communications media – press, websites, radio and television – and State security forces and law enforcement agencies.
Those which will not be permitted to continue working include anything leisure- and entertainment-related – although this does not stop home deliveries from Amazon or retailers selling similar items; fashion and accessories retailers; hairdressers'; all factories and logistics plants which are not involved in any of the services and supplies listed above – although those considered 'non-essential' are permitted to stay open if they adapt their facilities to manufacturing healthcare material, such as masks, gloves and hospital equipment; and all building and construction work, except emergency plumbing, electricity and building repair, meaning any work on building new houses, schools, hospitals or other infrastructure will stop.
Insurance companies, especially claims departments, car repair services and banking services will still trade, but their hours are likely to be drastically reduced and they may only deal with emergencies – for example, you would be able to get a crucial repair carried out to your car to keep it on the road, but probably not a respray to fix some merely cosmetic scratches.
Although what Spain calls 'drugstores' – selling perfume, cosmetics and home cleaning produce – are still allowed to open, anecdotal evidence shows that many are not; the more essential of these goods are available in most supermarkets, but the public may have problems getting their 'usual brands' or types.
Dry-cleaners and opticians' are allowed to trade, but again, many will have decided not to do so, or to limit their hours and only cater for emergencies.
Laundrettes, where these are self-service, are mostly still open, but as they are not staffed, the public will need to be very disciplined in ensuring only limited numbers of them enter at any one time and that they stand at least a metre and a half apart, wearing gloves to avoid touching surfaces with their bare hands.
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