Spain will raise to 10 the limit on people per household allowed to gather for Christmas and New Year holidays to avoid spreading coronavirus.
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The ruling, which applies to Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, means a slight relaxation of the current general rule allowing gatherings of up to six people, except in some regions that have defined their own limits.
The start of the nighttime curfews in force in most Spanish regions will be moved to 1.30 am from 11 pm on December 24 and December 31.
Movement of people between regions will be banned between December 23 and January 6, except for visits to family.
Announcing the measures on Wednesday, Health Minister Salvador Illa did not explain how they would work or be monitored - a tough task considering how many people travel at Christmas precisely to be with family.
"It is desirable people restrict their mobility and social contacts as much as possible," Illa said, encouraging people not to move despite the loopholes.
"To sum it up, this Christmas we stay at home."
Each region is now free to toughen up the measures on the movement of people.
Governments across Europe are trying to navigate between avoiding spreading the virus over the holiday season and allowing people to celebrate with family and friends.
The 10-person limit includes children, and the official recommendation is for people from the same household to celebrate together without outside guests.
Spain imposed a six-month state of emergency starting in November, which gives regions legal backing to impose curfews and other restrictions.
While the rate of infection in Spain has slowed since, its overall tally of over 1.66 million COVID-19 cases is among the highest in western Europe.
The country's death toll reached 45,784 on Wednesday.
Australian Associated Press