MADRID, Spain - Spain will allow nightclubs to stay open until up to 3:00 am in regions with low coronavirus infection rates, Health Minister Carolina Darias said Wednesday.

The Spanish government in August 2020 ordered nightclubs to shut across the country as COVID-19 infections surged.

But since a virus state of emergency ended on May 9 some regional governments, which are in charge of health care, have announced different rules for the reopening of nightlife.

Darias met with regional health authorities on Wednesday in the northern city of Pamplona to agree on binding rules for all Spain's regions.

Those with less than 50 COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people over the past 14 days will be able to open nightclubs until 3:00 am, she told reporters after the meeting.

"We are going to return to normality little by little, gradually and progressively," she said.

It was not clear whether dance floors would be allowed or if there would be capacity restrictions.

The minister said one in five people in Spain was now fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and the country was on track to meet its goal of having 70 percent its population fully vaccinated by the end of the summer.

Spain's overall infection rate fell to 118.5 cases per 100,000 on Wednesday, nearly halving since the end of April.

But only the Balearic islands, which includes Ibiza, known for its night life, the coastal region of Valencia and the North African enclave of Ceuta currently have less than 50 infections per 100,000 people.