Almost overnight. In just 24 hours, the Government reversed the strategy it had advocated until last Saturday and where before it considered that it was not necessary to increase restrictions on confinement, it has suddenly improvised an almost total stoppage of all non-essential activity in Spain, at least until April 11. The most evident proof of improvisation came almost at dawn, when it was confirmed that the BOE decree would declare "a moratorium for some activities to be paralyzed gradually," said Margarita Robles in La Sexta, giving voice to the Government. In certain sectors, "in which it is impossible to immediately interrupt the activity, the workers included in the scope of this Royal Decree may provide services on Monday, March 30, 2020," reads the text.
The decision was confirmed hastily. In fact, the closure of non-essential activities, as explained yesterday by the Minister of Finance and Executive Spokesperson, María Jesús Montero , was taken on Saturday itself as a result of the indications of the Coronavirus Technical Management Committee that advises the Government since the declaration of the alarm state. Fernando Simón , the most visible figure of that committee, defended during each day of last week that such hardening was not necessary, however, on Saturday the picture changed.
According to Minister Montero, it is not that the infection data has worsened more than expected, but quite the contrary; They have realized that these measures are effective and that is why they should be reinforced to reduce the mobility of workers and infections. Until now, the impact of the quarantine on daily mobility exceeded 70%, while on weekends the fall reaches 82%, and that difference is what the Executive wants to maintain from now on.
What has not been calibrated so far is the impact on the economy. The government has launched a "recoverable paid leave" that will allow non-essential activity workers to stay home while the company pays their wages and in exchange for returning the hours once the activity resumes.
Calviño vs. Churches
The measure has once again made clear the duality and division in the composition of the Executive. On the one hand, the vice president of Economic Affairs, Nadia Calviño , who until practically this Saturday defended a position very close to that of businessmen, ruling out a more radical closure of economic activity. He said this as active and passive, in each interview and public intervention in which he was asked about calls from certain autonomies - also supported by the PP president, Pablo Casado - to implement a complete stop of the activity.
"What are we talking about when a total stop is requested?" Argued the vice president in public just three days before Pedro Sánchez announced full economic confinement. "For a hospital to work, the chemical industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the textile that manufactures sanitary ware, the public transport to get to the hospital, the food sector must work ... We already have a very slow activity and which has also been reoriented to tackle the crisis, "he replied to journalists.
Its objective at all times has been that the country "does not stop" and that the economic impact and its impact on jobs were as contained as possible and that objective seems to have weighed so far in Pedro Sánchez's plan.
However, it has ended up imposing the purple position within the Executive. According to sources consulted by this newspaper, Pablo Iglesias conveyed to Pedro Sánchez about 10 days ago the need to impose the closure of non-essential productive activity. The leader of Unidas Podemos advised him not to present it as a work ban, but as a key pillar of the fight against the coronavirus.
In Podemos they appealed in their reasoning to several reasons, among them the scientist -braking the curve- and common sense -there is no sense in seeing the metro daily with crowded people-, but Sánchez rejected them and, moreover, asked Iglesias to did not make public battle of the subject.
From that moment on, Unidas Podemos aligned itself with the official discourse, although Iglesias has continued to maintain contact with Italian politicians in recent weeks, who stressed the need to further restrict confinement. Finally, that has been the position that has been imposed.
Hibernation period
The Executive trusts that it is only a period of "hibernation" of the economy and takes advantage of the period of Easter to mitigate the effects of the stoppage and ease the burden on companies. It is an "innovative", "creative" and "imaginative" measure, said the head of the Treasury, who also acknowledged that the Government had "consulted union and business organizations, to which we want to thank her for her collaboration."
However, business sources deny that they were taken into account before throwing the bolt and explain that they were only informed about it shortly before the appearance of the president, Pedro Sánchez, on Saturday afternoon.
The discomfort has been evident in the last hours in the form of statements. From CEIM (Business Confederation of Madrid) yesterday they expressed their "concern and discomfort at the way in which this decision has been carried out", while the president of the Catalan employers' association Foment and vice-president of CEOE, Josep Sánchez Llibre , criticized "the improvisation and haste "of the measures announced over a weekend, and that companies have not been given sufficient margin to adapt.
The CEOE also warns of the "unprecedented" impact it will have on the Spanish economy, "especially in sectors such as industry", and also warn that "this break can lead to a deeper crisis in the economy that could become social "
Faced with these and other business criticisms, the Labor Minister, Yolanda Díaz, yesterday defended the increase in restrictions and marked her terrain: "We are not going to accept pressure of any kind, " he assured at the press conference after the Council of Ministers.
The lock, therefore, has finished cracking the apparently good harmony that the businessmen and the Executive had maintained until this week. The Italian break has been the second major disagreement between the Government and employers in the last seven days, after the Executive decided to ban layoffs in an unprecedented intervention in the labor market.
CCAA protests
But the hiatus has not only stoked the businessmen, but also some regional leaders who also do not agree with the way to carry it out. The Galician president, Alberto Núñez Feijóo , and the Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu , were the clearest when it came to expressing their disagreement during the videoconference that all the regional leaders held yesterday with Sánchez. Neither fully understood the change in the Government's strategy and both were in favor of each region having the power to specify the auxiliary activities and companies that are necessary to maintain essential activity.
In case there were doubts, Minister Montero settled the debate: "It doesn't make sense that each autonomous community does a different thing ."
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