On 27 February, the Generalitat de Catalunya published resolution SLT / 516/2021 in the DOGC, which extends most of the restrictions that have been in force for shops and restaurants since 8 February to 8 March 2021. However, the rules are to some degree more flexible. Specifically, as of Monday 1 March, shopping centres and establishments with a sales area of more than 400 square metres will be allowed to reopen. They will now be able to open from Monday to Friday, with a reduced customer capacity of 30%. However, restaurants in shopping centres must remain closed. Moreover, the resolution has once again extended the closure of all non-essential shops at weekends. Here is a summary of the new resolution:
Shopping centres: shops open, restaurants closed
The new resolution allows shopping centres, shopping arcades and collective commercial premises to reopen from Monday to Friday, provided they comply with the following regulations:
• Customer capacity must be reduced to 30% of that officially permitted. This reduction applies both to shops and commercial premises, and to the common and transit areas within shopping centres and shopping arcades. Shops and commercial premises within shopping centres or shopping arcades that are dedicated to the sale of essential goods, hygiene products, veterinary practices, bookshops, hairdressers, beauty salons, car dealerships, and garden centres, areexcluded from these restrictions, and may remain open regardless of their surface area.
• Furthermore, customer capacity and flow control systems must be established to ensure effective crowd control measures. Access to and use of recreational areas such as children’s areas, playgrounds or rest areas must be restricted.
• Strict conditions regarding ventilation and air quality must be met. Prior to opening, a sworn declaration must be submitted to the department of commerce and to the local council corresponding to the municipality in question. The resolution states that the owners of shopping centres, shopping arcades and commercial premises who have previously submitted such a declaration are not required to do so again, as long as there have been no changes within the company, or in authorised maintenance staff.
• The measures set out in the corresponding sectoral plan approved by the Steering Committee of the PROCICAT Action Plan must always be strictly complied with.
The resolution stipulates that restaurants, cafés and bars located in shopping centres or shopping arcades must still remain closed.
Shops with a sales area of more than 400 m2 may reopen
According to the new resolution, shops and commercial premises with a sales area of more than 400 square metres may reopen provided that they limit the space open to the public to this area only, and reduce customer capacity to 30% of the total permitted under the terms of their licence or authorisation of activity for this specific area.
On the other hand, the resolution of 6 February, which has been extended once again with modifications, prohibits the opening to the public of retail establishments and commercial premises on Saturdays and Sundays, except for commercial establishments dedicated to the sale of essential products, hygiene products, bookshops, veterinary practices, hairdressers, beauty salons, car dealerships and garden centres, which may remain open regardless of their surface area, with the hygiene and safety measures established in the sectoral retail plan approved by the governing bodies of the PROCICAT Action Plan in place.
The resolution continues to include bookshops in the group of establishments that sell essential products, and which are therefore not affected by the weekend opening restrictions or the limitations relating to sales area or location in collective commercial establishments, such as shopping centres and arcades.
Retail shops and commercial establishments that do not sell essential items and are not on the list of exceptions mentioned above may open to the public from Monday to Friday as long as they reduce the customer capacity permitted by their licence or authorisation of activity to 30%, and rigorously apply the COVID-19 hygiene, prevention and safety measures established in the sectoral trade plan approved by government bodies under the PROCICAT action plan.
Bars, cafés and restaurants: no changes
Bars, cafés and restaurants must take the following requirements into account. The opening hours that must be respected are as follows:
• Consumption of food and drink on premises: between 7.30 am and 10.30 am, and between 1 pm and 4.30 pm.
• Collection of take-away food: between 6 am and 10 pm.
• Home-delivery services: between 6 am and 11 pm.
Seating capacities have to be at 30% in indoor areas, which must always be well ventilated. There has to be a guaranteed and properly indicated minimum distance of two metres between customers at different tables or groups of tables. In the case of terraces, permitted seating capacity is 100%, but there has to be a guaranteed and properly indicated minimum distance of two metres between customers at different tables or groups of tables. Food and drink must always be consumed at tables. The maximum number of customers per table or group of tables is four, unless they belong to the same bubble.
There must be a guaranteed distance of one metre between people sitting at the same table, unless they belong to the same bubble. The type and size of table must permit these distances to be respected.
Hotels may provide a restaurant service exclusively for staying guests at dinner time, in accordance with the opening hours established in section 6 of this Resolution.
It is important to remember that the resolution stipulates that restaurants, cafés and bars located in shopping centres or shopping arcades must still remain closed.