Decree 20/2020: An explanation of the new measures.
The President of the Generalitat Valenciana issued a new Decree 20/2020 on Friday 18th December, imposing new measures for the festive period.
Saturday 19th December 2020 | MIKE SMITH
The President of the Generalitat Valenciana issued a new Decree 20/2020 on Friday 18th December to modify previous Decrees 14/2020 and 19/2020 which detailed the measures that the regional government had imposed to fight the spread of the coronavirus infection.
These modifications affect the limit on entry and exit into the Comunidad Valenciana, the limit on the movement of people at night, and the limit of the number of people who can gather together on a social basis.
The new decree, which comes into effect at midnight on Sunday 20th December, explains that: “the current epidemiological situation has required a review of these measures to avoid a considerable increase of infections over the next few weeks and the associated increases in hospitalizations and deaths“.
We have translated the modifications to provide a detailed and official explanation, as follows:
1. Limitations on the entry to, and exit from, the Comunidad Valenciana
The second paragraph of the first section of Decree 19/2020 has been modified to restrict movement in and out of the Comunidad Valenciana to “properly justified trips” which means that the previous relaxation on certain days during the festive period has been removed and it is now no longer possible to visit family or close friends in another territory in Spain.
2. Limitation on the freedom of movement of people at night
The first section of Decree 14/2020 has been modified to bring forward the start of the night-time curfew, as follows:
“The limitation to the freedom of movement of people at night, provided for in article 5 of Royal Decree 926/2020, of October 25, which declares the state of alarm to contain the spread of infections caused by SARS-COV2, will be between 23.00 and 06.00 hours throughout the territory of the Comunidad Valenciana”.
The second section of Decree 19/2020 has been modified to establish a later curfew time on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve, as follows:
“On the nights of December 24 and 31, 2020, the limitation of the freedom of movement of people at night will be extended until midnight only to allow people to return home. In no case will this time extension be used to travel to different social gatherings”.
3. Limitation of the number of people who can meet in public and private spaces
The fourth section of Decree 19/2020 has been annulled and replaced by the following modifications:
“The gathering of groups of people in spaces of public use, both closed and outdoors, will be conditional on not exceeding the maximum number of six people, except in the case of [those who live together], and this without prejudice to the exceptions that are established with respect to dependencies, facilities and establishments open to the public.“
“The gathering of groups of people in spaces for private use will also be conditioned on not exceeding the maximum number of six people, except in the case of [those who live together]. In any case, it is recommended that no more than two household groups form part of this maximum number.“
There are no longer any exceptions for Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve.
RELATED LINKS:
Presidencia de la Generalitat Decree 14/2020 (PDF)
Presidencia de la Generalitat Decree 19/2020 (PDF)
Presidencia de la Generalitat Decree 20/2020 (PDF)
