Street parties in Spain as couples kiss and hundreds dance to mark lockdown end – World News

Spain’s streets were packed with people dancing and embracing as the country celebrated the end of its six-month state of emergency.

There was chanting of ‘freedom’ as people partied in city streets and on beaches but there were fears that restrictions aimed at tackling coronavirus had been lifted too soon.

Hundreds of mostly young people were pictured gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol square to cheer as the clock struck midnight at the weekend.

In Barcelona revellers descended on the beach to mark the moment that lockdown curbs finally came to an end.

Some wore masks but there was little in the way of social distancing as friends kissed, hugged, danced and sang together.

Shop worker Paula Garcia, 28, on the beach in Barcelona, said: “Young people, like everyone else, have been very restricted.

“Now was time to give us a bit of freedom to enjoy a little of the summer.”

“It was time they let us out,” said store clerk Andreu Pujol, 25, also on the beach in Barcelona.

“Even so, I am still very unhappy with the handling (of the pandemic). You can see that in this country all they do is make things up as they go along.”

But in the Basque Country, where authorities had asked to keep the curfew but were rebuffed by a court last week, some locals were less excited.

“It’s very bad that there is no state of emergency,” said Asun Lasa, walking along San Sebastian’s seafront on Sunday.

“People want to go out but the situation is not ready for that.”

The Basque Country has seen Spain’s highest infection rate at 448 per 100,000 against a national average of 199.

Social media videos of large groups paying little heed to distancing drew criticism from some on Sunday.

“Freedom does not include breaking the rules,” said Madrid’s conservative mayor Jose Luis Martinez-Almeida, emphasizing that gatherings to drink on the street, known as “botellones”, were banned.

During the pandemic Spain has suffered 78,792 coronavirus deaths and 3.6 million cases.

But infection rates have fallen and vaccinations are progressing fast, allowing most of its 17 regions to scrap the curfew.

Only four regions were keeping it: the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Navarra and Valencia.

While the curfew has been lifted, most regions have kept limits on opening hours for bars and restaurants, forcing people onto the streets.