Posted April 27, 2020 11:53:56

Photo: Children had been shut indoors since March 14. (Reuters: Nacho Doce)

On foot and with bicycles, skateboards and scooters, children in Spain have gone outside for the first time in six weeks after living under one of Europe's strictest coronavirus lockdowns.

The relaxed restrictions came as Spain — one of the countries worse hit by the global COVID-19 pandemic — registered its lowest daily coronavirus death toll in more than a month.

It was the first step in the Spanish Government's plans to gradually ease restrictions.

Children under 14 were allowed outside for the first time since the Government declared a state of emergency on March 14, shutting down most public life and economic activity.

Photo: Children must still adhere to social-distancing guidelines, remaining at least 2 metres from other people. (Reuters: Borja Suarez)

Children will be allowed one hour of supervised outdoor activity per day between 9:00am and 9:00pm, staying within one kilometre of their home.

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Adults can accompany up to three children, who will not be allowed to use playparks or share toys, and must adhere to social-distancing guidelines, remaining at least 2 metres from other people.

Schools remain closed.

'I never thought I would miss school'

Nine-year-old Lucia Ibanez said she had missed the streets and the park and "feeling the air on your face".

"I never thought I would miss school but I really miss it," she added.

Photo: Spain's Government says it will watch how people respond to the loosened restrictions and make adjustments if necessary. (Reuters: Nacho Doce)

Spain's Health Minister Salvador Illa said in the afternoon it appeared families were generally complying with the rules, but the Government would watch what happened in the coming days and, if necessary, "adjust the criteria".

His ministry earlier said 288 more people had died after being diagnosed with coronavirus, the lowest daily death toll in the past month.

That brought the total number of deaths to 23,190, while the overall number of cases rose to 207,634.

Spain has registered the third-highest number of COVID-19 deaths, after the United States and Italy.

'Safe tourism'

Photo: Staggered work start times, widened pedestrian areas and ongoing remote working have been touted as ways to lower the risk of spreading coronavirus. (Reuters: Borja Suarez)

Environment Minister Teresa Ribera said the country would begin gradually reopening economic activity in the coming weeks.

She said the Government was particularly keen to ensure tourism — which accounted for 12 per cent of GDP — resumed safely.

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"If we open [the tourism industry] it has to be with total security," she said.

"Most employers and unions are already working on what constitutes safe tourism so as not to unnecessarily increase our risks."

Overcrowding would need to be avoided as restrictions eased, Ms Ribera said, noting staggered work start times, widened pedestrian areas and remote working could reduce the risk.

Emergency Health Chief Fernando Simon said the country must ensure the health system could respond if there was another outbreak.

Spain needed to guard against "new waves" of the illness, he said, adding the aim would be a gradual return to normal, cautioning it would not be "the same normality that we knew a year ago".

Reuters/ABC

Topics: health, diseases-and-disorders, covid-19, infectious-diseases-other, respiratory-diseases, government-and-politics, world-politics, politics-and-government, disease-control, disease-outbreak, spain