MADRID (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 22nd April, 2020) Children under the age of 14 will be allowed to go for short walks starting from the upcoming weekend, Spanish Health Minister Salvador Illa said on Tuesday.
On Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that he will ask the country's parliament to extend a nationwide lockdown introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19 through May 9, and the vote in the parliament's lower house is set to take place on Wednesday.
Earlier on Tuesday, Finance Minister Maria Jesus Montero said that children would be allowed to just accompany their parents to shops, banks or pharmacies. After Montero's statement was criticized across Spain, Illa said that children would eventually be allowed to go for walks outside.
"The government is listening. At the end of the week, I will issue a decree so that children under 14 can walk outside," Illa said during an online press conference.
The health minister also said that the details of the decree would be revealed later, adding that the changes would be in place from Sunday.
According to Illa, the peak of the coronavirus is over but the situation in the country is still challenging.
Spain has so far confirmed 204,178 coronavirus cases and more than 21,000 deaths from complications related to COVID-19.
