COVID-19

SPAIN’S Tourism Minister Reyes Maroto believes normal travel will restart this summer – at least within the country – allowing people to plan a getaway. She expects more people to be travelling during the all-important high season than last year when holidays were hit by the covid-19 pandemic. “Spaniards can start planning their vacations.” The politician said the optimism was based on forecasts of business leaders and tourist companies. “Realistically […]

SPANISH police have arrested a 40-year-old man who told “alarmed” colleagues he would infect them with Covid-19. The suspect faces an assault charge after infecting 22 people on the island of Majorca – it is alleged he continued to go to work and workout in a gym despite testing positive for coronavirus. Police said despite the positive PCR test, a cough and a raging temperature of 40C (104F) the man […]

THE region of Valencia – especially the much-loved Costa Blanca – should be able to welcome British holidaymakers when they are allowed to travel after May 17. Valencia has the lowest incidence of Covid-19 of all of Spain and the statistics reveal coronavirus rates are much lower than the Balearic or Canary Islands. Regional tourist minister Francesc Colomer has asked the British government to receive the same treatment as the […]

THE regional government of Valencia announced last night it was easing Covid-19 health rules from Monday allowing people a more flexible social life. While the curfew remains unchanged for the moment – bars, restaurants and shops can also trade until the new closing time of 10pm, a lifeline for the hospitality and commercial sectors. The changes from April 26 will remain in force until May 9 when central government is […]

VALENCIA’S health department have warned a message proclaiming new relaxed coronavirus rules is fake news. The regional government meets this evening to discuss any change in Covid-19 measures to come in force from Monday. Yet a hoax message on social media circulated hours ahead of the summit has announced a series of rule changes. Health chiefs immediately condemned the scam and asked people to verifyinformation regarding the crisis through official […]

PRESIDENT of the Valencia regional government Ximo Puig will this evening reveal any changes to the restrictions imposed to control the health emergency. The authority’s interdepartmental committee for prevention and action against Covid-19 is scheduled to meet at 19.00 to discuss the ongoing battle against the pandemic. Representatives of the hospitality sector have already demanded the industry be allowed more freedom – they want indoor capacity to be extended to […]

HEALTH authorities across Spain are divided over how to use the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine after the “very rare risk” it causes blood clots. The vaccine – like the AstraZeneca inoculation before it – has been cleared by the European Medicines Agency which ruled benefits in immunisation against Covid-19 outweigh the risk of thrombosis. As the speed of vaccination picks up in Spain, some regions want Janssen to be […]

THE Spanish government want to include the single-shot Janssen vaccine“immediately” after it won approval by European regulations, said Health Minister Carolina Darias. Nearly 150,000 doses are in a Spanish warehouse, a batch of 300,000 are about to be delivered – and 5.5 million shots will be received this quarter and a further 12 million in January, August and September. The European Medicines Agency rule the benefits of the Johnson & […]

Pfizer shot to follow AstraZeneca jab SPANISH doctors are staging a clinical trial over the effects of a second Pfizer jab to follow an initial dose of the AstraZeneca shot. It follows the government’s decision to limit the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine to people aged from 60 to 69 – the change came after it was linked to possible blood clots, mostly in young women. By the start of […]