Spain has started to ease its lockdown restrictions, now allowing children under the age of 14 to leave their homes for the first time in weeks.
As of Sunday, the rule forbidding children from going outside under any circumstance has been eased by allowing one hour outside a day between 9 am to 9 pm. The Minister for Health, Salvador Illa, announced the change on Thursday, adding that children must be accompanied by an adult and stay within a kilometer (.62 miles) of their home, Now This reported.
The easing of restrictions in Spain comes as global case numbers top 3 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, and as other hard-hit European countries announce plans to start reopening.
According to Now This, as of Monday, Spain had the second-highest number of coronavirus cases behind the U.S. at more than 229,000. Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez implemented a strict lockdown on March 14 after declaring a state of emergency. The lockdown is expected to remain in place until May 10, according to the Spanish government.
The lockdown measures in Spain forbid people from going outside unless they’re performing an essential job, going to the grocery store or pharmacy, or walking a pet. Children under the age of 14 have not been allowed outside since the measures were put in place.
