Madrid, Apr 13 (IANS): Spain eased its economic restrictions on Monday allowing thousands of workers to return to their posts amid a debate between politicians, unions and scientists over the risk of a coronavirus rebound.
The Spanish government ordered the suspension of all non-essential activity on March 30, which meant an almost total paralysis of the country's economy, Efe news reports.
The measure was imposed in reaction to the advance of the pandemic, which saw a spike of infections and deaths of between 15 and 20 per cent the previous week.
A total of 166,831 confirmed cases and 17,209 deaths have been reported in Spain since the start of the outbreak, making it the one of the worst affected countries in the world.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said in a public appearance on Sunday that the restarting of economic activities on Monday would not mean a relaxation of confinement measures ordered on March 14.
He added that the country was not entering the de-escalation phase of its lockdown.
Police officers were distributing masks at major transport hubs, including train and metro stations, in large cities from the early hours of Monday morning.
The government announced the distribution of 10 million masks at logistics points throughout Spain for those who have to use public transport to travel to work.
Police officers were also monitoring trains and buses to make sure they did not become overcrowded.
Distancing measures have also been imposed for employers, such as in the construction industry work in occupied buildings has been prohibited.
Images from Spain's Directorate-General for Traffic on Monday showed empty roads and a small number of vehicles in large cities, with a similar picture in Madrid's main metro stations.
The resumption of economic activity has been criticised by some regional leaders, such as Catalan President Quim Torra, who on Sunday described the move as "absolute recklessness".
A number of union representatives have also questioned the relaxation of the measures and raised concerns about the risk it could pose for workers.