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"The behaviour of 99% of Spaniards was exemplary" and "only a minority failed to follow the recommendations." That was the assessment of health minister Salvador Illa after Sunday's keenly-awaited first significant easing of Spanish lockdown: allowing children under 14 to go outside and play. While he didn't hide his concerns about certain "abuses" that occurred due to families who failed to comply with the rules set by the authorities, at the Moncloa government palace they are already working to open the doors to further leisure outings for other sectors of the population.

On Tuesday, Pedro Sánchez is to appear to detail the plan to de-escalate the lockdown that Spain will begin to implement from now on. "It will be gradual, step by step, in stages, asymmetrical and led by the central government with clear and equal criteria for everyone," said Salvador Illa. However, he acknowledged that "no specific dates can be given" and warned that people "mustn't lose their fear of the virus."

Nevertheless, he said that his team was working "on an order to regulate going for walks and exercise" from this weekend, a promise that was mentioned by the Spanish prime minister himself in his last press conference. When asked by reporters for further details, it was perhaps a base of once bitten, twice shy, as today Illa avoided being drawn, after last week's fiasco with the issue of the new permission for children to go outside, which was first announced as for shopping trips and errands, but not to play outside. Finally, after an avalanche of criticism, the Sánchez government ended up changing its plan.

What the minister did point out is that these measures to "lighten" lockdown require the "co-responsibility" of the public when it comes to putting them into practice. "If the government allows a measure to lighten the restrictions, it must be respected in the terms that it is decreed," he warned.

According to the Cadena SER radio network, the health minister later told a meeting of autonomous community health officials that setting of different time zones for outings by different groups of the population was a possibility. If applied, this would probably reduce the current 12 hour time zone - from 9am to 9pm - during which children are able to go outside for an hour with an adult.

Alarms ring on Sunday 

The minister's comments on the behaviour of the public on Sunday followed a wave of alarmed messages on social media yesterday, complaining of squares full of families with children, who weren't respecting the safety distances, and crowds on beachside promenades.

Some also pointed out that there were parents failing to respect the rule that only one adult was able to accompany the children (up to three kids). Whole families were going out on the street together, said some concerned or angry Twitter users.

Translation:
"People are dying, small business won't withstand this lockdown, but the streets are full of couples together walking a dog, families with more than one adult walking with children or people practicing sport. We’ll spend the summer locked inside because of all these selfish shits."- Sara Abril

"Today at Masnou beach ...... we hope we won't have to regret this in a few weeks ..... how irresponsible !!!!!" - Elisa Muñoz

"This thing about going out one adult with one child is, at the moment, not great. From what I can see from the balcony, parents have gone out with children and grandparents. Can we start taking bets now on when the second lockdown will start? I say before the end of May."- Aleix Caballeria