Shopping centres will be able to reopen with a 30% capacity limit from next Monday on

BarcelonaThe Procicat (the Civil Defense and Home Affairs body who decides on covid-19 measures) has agreed to allow the reopening of the shopping centres from next Monday, 14th December, on, with a 30% limit on their overall capacity. It has also authorized regional mobility as of next Friday, which means that the municipal weekend lockdown will become regional. Perimetral lockdown of Catalonia will still be mantained.

The two measures of flexibility have the goal of sponging the concentration of people in urban spaces and, at the same time, facilitating the access to certain services that are not present in small municipalities during the weekend.

Shopping centres open at 30% of their capacity

The reopening of shopping centres and premises will be conditioned to the reduction of their capacity to 30% of their limit, and to the guarantee of good ventilation of closed spaces, by means of natural ventilation or other ventilation systems. This capacity limit will be applied both to establishments and commercial premises, and to common and transit areas. In order to comply with the limitation, shopping centres and enclosures will have to establish capacity and flow control systems, in establishments and premises and also in their accesses, including car parks. Access to, and use of recreational areas, such as children's areas or rest areas, will also be restricted.

Expansion of the maximum amount of people in cultural and religious venues

Additionally, cultural venues -theatres, cinemas and auditoriums, with stable artistic programming, both in closed and open-air enclosures-, and public performance spaces, may continue to open, limiting the capacity to 50% and with a maximum number of 500 people per session, provided that good ventilation of closed spaces is guaranteed. However, the resolution also states that in all these activities, if reinforced ventilation conditions are met, and crowd control measures are guaranteed, up to a maximum of 1,000 people per session or performance can be accommodated, provided that the 50% limit of the maximum authorised capacity is not exceeded.

In this sense, the venue owners will have to present a responsible declaration to the Department of Culture and the Town Hall of the municipality where the activity space is located, informing them of the characteristics of the ventilation and air quality systems, as well as of the access and mobility controls.

Finally, as for religious events and civil ceremonies -weddings, religious services, and funeral ceremonies-, they will be able to open limiting the capacity to 30%, and with a maximum number of 500 people. However, as with cultural venues, if they can prove that they are more airy, they can accommodate a maximum of 1,000 people, as long as this 30% capacity is not exceeded. In all these cases, the owners - or those responsible for these venues - will also have to present the declaration of responsibility to the Department of Justice, the competent body for religious affairs, and to the town hall of the municipality where the activity is located.