Spain loosens measures amid continued drop in cases

Measures to control the spread of the coronavirus are being relaxed in several parts of Spain, as the Health Ministry reported 9,773 new coronavirus cases and 373 more COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday.

The jump accounts for two days' worth of data, as Spain's Health Ministry failed to update figures on Tuesday-suggesting that infections have plummeted to around 4,500 per day.

Although the epidemiological situation is improving, the virus continues to devastate some vulnerable communities. On Tuesday, health authorities had to intervene in a nursing home in Tenerife after 164 elderly residents tested positive for the virus.

Still, many regions are relaxing social measures to reinvigorate sectors of the economy that have been frozen for weeks.

The region of Murcia reopened indoor bars and restaurants for the first time on Wednesday. The region of Castile and Leon will follow suit on Friday, when bars, restaurants, gyms and malls will be able to open their doors.

Despite a slight local uptick in infections, Valencia also approved reopening nightclubs, but they'll have to shut down by midnight.

The Canary Islands, in hopes to save its reeling tourism sector, announced that it will no longer require arrivals to present PCR tests upon arrival, as authorities will also begin accepting negative antigen tests, which are cheaper and provide results quicker.

Health Minister Salvador Illa also announced that all of Spain will no longer ask travelers under six-years-old to present negative tests and that faster TMA (transcription-mediated amplification) tests will also be accepted alongside the PCR laboratory tests.

The Mediterranean island of Mallorca is the only region taking a different approach, announcing Wednesday it would move its nightly curfew from midnight to 10 PM to bring down contagion before the Christmas holidays.

Spain is coming off of a four-day long weekend where large crowds were observed on major shopping streets and in the countryside around large cities, as regional borders were closed over the weekend.

Authorities are eager to see if the extended holiday will lead to a fresh spike in contagions before the festive season, when measures are expected to be relaxed further across the country.

"We have to start vaccinations in the best conditions possible, people need to play their part and contribute to bringing down the curve. We can adopt all the measures we want, but if people don't follow them, they won't work," said Carolina Darias Spain's Minister for Territorial Policy in a press conference on Wednesday.

Spain is awaiting approval from the European Medicines Agency to begin its vaccination program. Several politicians said they expect the first jabs to begin next month.