Spain’s main conservative opposition party has lent support in parliament to the minority government’s decree outlining “new normal” safety measures. The lower house approved the decree by 265 votes to 77 votes, with five abstentions, and 88 votes cast by the opposition People’s Party (PP), Reuters reported.
The government of socialist PM Pedro Sanchez had struggled over the past two months to gain approval for various extensions to the state of emergency and the phasing-out of the coronavirus lockdown, with the PP either abstaining or voting against his proposals since April.
“Our party will support a decree to get out of this brutal crisis of the coronavirus and to prevent any new outbreaks, and to take economic and social measures,” PP leader Pablo Casado said on Thursday before the vote.
Among other measures, the ‘new normalcy’ decree makes the wearing of masks compulsory in spaces where a safe 1.5-meter distance between people cannot be observed.