Spain has been one of the European countries that has been most affected by the novel coronavirus. Gerard Figueras, secretary general of sports and physical activity for the autonomous region of Catalonia, has told CMDsport that its government hopes to lift the Covid-19 quarantine of children on April 27 and might at the same time implement a multi-phase plan to reinstate sports activities. In the first phase of Catalonia’s plan the public would be permitted to venture out of their residence – for about an hour and within a certain radius – to practice non-competitive sports such as running, walking and calisthenics, which is something that Spaniards cannot do at present. Public facilities and parks would remain closed, and permission might be granted at different times of day to different age groups. In a second phase, to begin ideally before summer, public and private gyms and other such facilities would reopen as long as they comply with all sanitary and hygienic protocols. According to Figueras, gym owners would prefer even a limited reopening – with no access to changing rooms, for example – to the current shutdown. At a later stage, which still lacks even a preliminary date, competitive sports would come back, albeit with empty stands. All of this depends on whether the Spanish government decides to allow the autonomous communities to set their own calendars. The matter is up for deliberation at the present time.

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