An estimated 4 million workers in Spain returned to their workplaces on Monday April 13th...

Most of these non-essential workers that have been given the green light to leave their homes are in the construction and industrial sectors, as well as other businesses classified as important...

But according to the vice president of Spain’s Business Confederation (CEOE) Íñigo Fernández de Mesa, the vast majority of these Spanish companies do not have enough protective gear supplies such as gloves or face masks to guarantee that their employees aren’t at risk of contracting Covid-19.

“What we’ve ascertained from our business sphere is that large companies possibly do have stock and access to these supplies, but small and medium-sized companies don’t,” he said in an interview on Antena 3’s Espejo Público news programme.

This is of particular concern because 95 percent of companies in Spain are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)...

Spain's main trade unions CCOO and UGT have also distanced themselves from Sanchez's measure, stating that the government's recommendations "are difficult to apply" and pleading with companies not to ask employees to return to their workplaces if "they cannot guarantee safety protocols"...