• Direct Coronavirus, latest news
  • Q&A. What activities have to close and what is the recoverable paid leave?

The Government approved this Sunday the cessation of all non-essential activities as of Monday, as the president, Pedro Sánchez , advanced yesterday at a press conference called at the last minute and without forecast. The measure entails, among other things, the approval of a recoverable paid leave that will allow non-essential service workers to stay at home from March 30 to April 9 and continue to receive their wages as before. In return, once the economy picks up, employees will have to negotiate with their companies how to return those hours not worked.

In practice, the plan approved this Sunday in an extraordinary Council of Ministers represents a lock on the Spanish economy that has been carried out in an unforeseen manner, which has caused confusion and criticism from businessmen. Before them, the Minister of Labor, Yolanda Díaz , has defended the increase in restrictions and has marked the ground: "We are not going to accept pressure of any kind. We are defending the general interest and there is no better way to defend it than to comply with this mandate. I am convinced that the social partners in our country are co-responsible for this unique mission of the Government of Spain, "the Minister of Labor defended at a joint press conference with the Minister of Finance and Executive Spokesperson, María Jesús Montero .

As both have defended, the decision to toughen confinement for the next two weeks has been raised as a result of the indications received yesterday by the Technical Committee that advises Pedro Sánchez's Cabinet throughout this crisis. The plan aims to reduce daily mobility to the level of weekends to curb infections and prevent the collapse of hospitals, which are already at the limit of their capacities.

At the economic level, this reduction will lead the economy to a period of " hibernation ", in Montero's words, which is necessary to resume the economic recovery afterwards.

In recent days, unions and various municipal and regional leaders had increased pressure for the stoppage of activities to expand beyond what was established in the first decree of the state of alarm and that decision finally came yesterday. In Italy it has been applied for a week.

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

Know more

  • economy
  • Coronavirus
  • Covid 19

Politics The Generalitat announces a credit line of one billion for companies and the free telephone number 061

Covid-19Ceramic Accelerates Shipments to Shield Against More Coronavirus Restrictions

EconomyThe ECB comes out in defense of the Eurozone with a 750,000 million emergency plan against the coronavirus