COVID-19

TOURISM remains the sector hit hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic as bothdomestic and international travellers were held back by the health restrictions across Spain. Overnight stays fell 70% in April this year compared to the same month in 2019 – there are no comparisons with last year as the country was under a national lockdown. In figures released today by the National Institute of Statistics, there were just 4 million […]

NEW measures in the battle to control the coronavirus pandemic came into force across Valencia today marking a further de-escalation of restrictions. The regional government agreed a new set of Covid-19 rules affecting residents and visitors including shortening the hours of the overnight curfew and allowing the hospitality sector longer hours in which to operate. The start of the curfew is pushed back to 1am until 6am and the cafes, […]

SPAIN hopes to open the door to British and other holidaymakers in weeks as it looks to revive its key tourism industry, said Deputy Minister for Tourism Fernando Valdés. Falling levels of Covid-19 infections and the success of vaccine rollout in other countries would allow restrictions to end. Tourism makes up 13% of the country’s GDP and the Spanish government hopes to have 45 million visitors this year – one […]

Valencia proposing closing time changes THE government of Valencia is considering a further relaxation of health restrictions next week – delaying the start of the nightly curfew and extending hospitality hours. Current measures are scheduled to expire at midnight on Sunday; they include a midnight shutdown and bars and restaurants closing at 11.30pm. However, as the region continues to report the best Covid-19 statistics, president Ximo Puig and his colleagues […]

Pfizer replaces AstraZeneca for second dose ESSENTIAL Spanish workers ‘left in limbo’ because of safety fears over the Oxford-AstraZeneca jab and possible rare links of the Covid-19 vaccine to blood clots will now receive a Pfizer jab. Health chiefs have announced the policy for those 1.5 million people aged under 60 who received a first shot of AstraZeneca before the vaccination programme was suspended over safety fears. The dilemma was […]

AstraZeneca and Pfizer for under-60s RESEARCH into a mix and match of Covid-19 vaccinations for people aged under 60 already given the AstraZeneca shot reveal they can receive a Pfizer jab to complete immunisation. A study by the Carlos III health institute in Madrid, Bilbao and Barcelona found the process “highly immunogenic and safe”. Frontline and key workers aged under 60 received an Oxford-AstraZeneca in an earlier stage of Spain’s […]

Region nears lowest risk level THE incidence of coronavirus infection across the Valencia region has fallen below 30 cases per 100,000 people despite health restrictions being eased. On Monday evening, the cumulative rate for the region, which includes the Costa Blanca, was measured at 29.84 – the figure seen as a litmus paper test in the battle against Covid-19. The figure was announced after the first weekend of curfew being […]

PANDEMIC health measures – including the compulsory wearing of masks outdoors – could be relaxed in the coming days thanks to the success of the vaccination programme. Government chief epidemiologist Fernando Simón said as the Covid-19 dataimproves and immunisation of the public proceeds, the health ministry wasconsidering reducing measures introduced in the battle against contagion. Simón, director of the coordination centre for health alerts, told a press conference “it is […]

Imminent return as holiday destination SPAIN’S Canary Islands is in contact with the British government in a bid to have the popular holiday destination added to the green list. Ángel Víctor Torres, president of the islands’ government, has announced the UK could “imminently” remove the archipelago from the list of countries to discourage travel in the ongoing Covid-19 crisis. He underlined the government was in “constant contact” with the UK […]