COVID-19

Gateway to travel across 27 member states THE European Union’s digital covid certificate will be in force from July 1 allowing holders to travel between countries making up the 27-member bloc. The so-called ‘coronavirus passport’ is a standardised document to be used as proof of vaccination or PCR test results and will be introduced unless the Covid-19 pandemic suddenly changes for the worst. Available in paper or digital formats, it […]

FLAGSHIP department store chain El Corte Inglés has recorded record annual losses for 2020 after being hit by coronavirus lockdowns and the collapse of tourists arriving in Spain. One of the country’s largest private employers, it posted a net loss of €2.9 billion in the 12 months to the end of February – compared to a net profit of €310 million for the same period a year earlier. The department store […]

Hopes move will boost tourist economy PEOPLE arriving in Spain from today no longer need a negative PCR test for Covid-19, the Spanish health ministry has announced. Visitors can now enter the country with a negative antigen test, proof of full vaccination or of a recent recovery from coronavirus. UK travellers were already welcome but Spain remains on the ‘amber’ list meaning holidaymakers need to quarantine on their return to […]

Nightlife returns after Covid ban VALENCIA president Ximo Puig has announced the end of the nightly curfew across the region – a Covid-19 pandemic in force for nearly seven and a half months. Nightlife also returns with clubs able to stay open until 2am – although there will be no dancing and the can only operate at 50% of internal licensed capacity. Bars and restaurants can remain open until 1am […]

SPAIN’S health chiefs have decided the one-shot Janssen vaccine will be used on the 40 to 49 age group as the vaccine rollout continues this month. Full protection is offered by the jab after one dose, preventing serious illness from Covid-19. Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are on standby should there be difficulty in obtaining supplies as the programme accelerates. The Janssen vaccine, made by a company in the Johnson & […]

Vaccination rollout remains key CORONAVIRUS deaths in Spain continue to fall with the number of victims at the end of May the lowest since last summer. Experts say progress in overcoming the Covid-19 pandemic is largely due to the speed the vaccination campaign is progressing – 2.3 million people received a shot over the last seven days and 38% of the total population have now had at least one dose. […]

SPAIN will allow cruise ships to dock in its ports from June 7 and welcome back thousands of visitors as a valuable boost to its Covid hit holiday industry. Cruise ships were banned a year ago as the coronavirus pandemic swept through Europe but falling Covid-19 infection rates and the soaring numbers of vaccinations have reversed the embargo – a number of high-profile infection events were linked to liners, their […]

THE majority of essential workers in Spain vaccinated with AstraZeneca choose to repeat the shot despite the links to rare cases of blood clots. The Spanish health ministry offered the under-60s the choice of having a Pfizer vaccine for the second shot – but most are following the European Medicines Agency advice, saying benefits far outweighed the potential risk. The group including police, healthcare workers and teachers, were givenAstraZeneca as […]

A giant poodle in Madrid has become the first dog in Spain to test positive for the British variant of coronavirus, vets said. The 14-year-old pet remained asymptomatic but was found to test positive in a survey being carried out across the country by the Veterinary Health Surveillance Centre at the Complutense University of Madrid. It was discovered from a nasal swab that the dog carried up to 12 genetic […]