Freedom Day in the Canary Islands... restrictions lifted so now you can party!

Today is the equivalent of Freedom Day in the UK as from midnight last night all of the regional restrictions imposed by the Canary Islands Government were lifted, and people will now be able to live almost entirely pre-pandemic normality after two hard years. Late nights, full capacity, and dancing are all back as the party returns to the Canary Islands, which are getting busier than ever as people just want to holiday and forget what they’ve been through.

Nightclubs are now allowed full capacity, dancing is allowed, closing time is governed by their licence and not the alert level of the island, events are back with the first live music gig at Castillo San Miguel with Magic Queen and Blondie, and music festival tickets are on sale for Green World and Elrow on Easter weekend.

Special permission will no longer have to be requested for mass activities and festivals, and popular religious and cultural festivities can be held. Sports events can be held under the same conditions as before the pandemic, and it will be possible to eat in sports venues.

However, it is important to remember this is a temporary suspension until Saturday April 30^th, and in the event that the health situation evolves unfavourably, they can be reactivated. This is why we are all being requested to continue to act responsibly.

Many people are unhappy that masks indoors and smoking on terraces are still in place, however, are they really life changing requirements that affect our normality, or is it just that we don’t like being told what to do?

Masks will be abolished soon, which is especially good news for school children and students, but the Government wants to keep the smoking rule as part of the Anti-Tobacco Reform in Spain.

These are measures lifted from today:
1. General capacity: 100%, both in outdoor and indoor spaces.

2. Group sizes No limits on maximum group sizes.

3. Closing hours: The establishments recover the closing hours by which they were governed before the outbreak of the pandemic and dancing is allowed.

4. Cultural activity: maximum capacity allowed regardless of whether or not it is considered a massive event, will be 100% both in indoor and outdoor spaces.

5. Public shows: recreational, leisure, and entertainment activities, including sports, that take place sporadically, and in places other than the establishments intended activity, will be able to have 100% capacity both indoors and outdoors, regardless of whether the public remains standing or sitting, or eating or drinking.

6. Federated and non-federated, professional and non-professional sports practice: it is allowed indoors and outdoors, maintaining the interpersonal distance of 2 metres whenever possible. The number of participants will be limited by the specific regulations of each sport.

7. Training, competitions and sporting events: the capacity of the public can be 100% both indoors and outdoors, incorporating the measures in the Agreement of the Interterritorial Council of February 16, 2022 on the measures for mass sporting events, including those of the Professional Football League and the ACB League.

8. Children and youth camps: The capacity will be 100% for both indoor and outdoor activities.

9. Camping: Camping is allowed but only in designated campsites, and the camping area will be delimited respecting the safety distance. Overnight stays are allowed guaranteeing the distance of 2 metres between beds, bunks, or people, and maintaining cross ventilation with outside air.