COVID-19

The Albacete town of Villamalea, population 4,000, has returned to lockdown for two weeks after 99 people tested COVID-19-positive in the past few weeks. A local judge ordered the confinement following two outbreaks: one among a family-run mushroom farming business; the other from an Altea stag night. A medical report that carried measures to close down nightclubs last week said the outbreak began with 17 positives at the mushroom farming […]

Ministers for health and education have planned a meeting for next Thursday the 27th to discuss strategy before children in Spain go back to school. Classes begin on different dates in different regions, with some of the earliest new terms starting on Friday the 4th of September. The ministries will design a full procedure which will take on board feedback from the regional governments in order to prevent contagion in […]

The European Centre for Disease Protection and Control has placed Spain at the top of the list of EU and EEA countries as the latest Covid 19 figures revealed a surge in new cases across the country. Spain's now become the only country listed with more than 100 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, at 132.2, exceeding the figure of the next highest rate of 98 recorded in both Luxembourg and […]

Police have shut down a brothel in Cox, in Alicante's Vega Baja, following a coronavirus outbreak among workers. PCR tests are being conducted on all staff at the brothel, according to Diario Informacion. The alarm was raised when one of the workers presented mild flu symptoms that were later confirmed as COVID-19. Personnel from Orihuela’s health department are now tracking and isolating any potential new patients – so far four […]

Albacete's provincial health department has decreed the closing of bars in Villamalea – 1hr 30mins from Valencia city – as well as cessation of religious activity after a coronavirus outbreak of 29 cases. The cases are related to a stag night that happened in Altea over the last few weeks and led to 11 PCR-confirmed cases in Villamalea, a document from Villamalea's Ayuntamiento said. The remainder of the cases were […]

Madrid's government delegate, Jose Manuel Franco, has announced authorities will impose fines with the 'maximum toughness' permitted by law against the 3,000-strong anti-mask protest last Sunday. "It won't be cheap for these people who put the health of Madrileños at risk," Franco told radio station Cadena Ser this morning. He said the Policia Nacional would look 'closely' into the demonstration. He said agents had already identified 30 people, which included […]

Last week's meeting of all of Spain's autonomous communities saw a unanimous agreement to bring in the measures detailed here. The rules on smoking were already in place for the Canary Islands and Galicia but this and the other restrictions will come into effect this week and it will be from tomorrow - Tuesday 18th August - for the Valencia Region. They are already in force from today for the […]

Bars and restaurants will need to guarantee a distance of one and a half meters at the bar and tables, with a maximum of ten people per table, and will be required to close at 1am. They won't be able to accept new customers after midnight.

Airbnb is restricting many under-25s in Spain from renting entire homes via its platform.The move comes as the company aims to reduce unauthorised parties and ensure safety. The restrictions will also be applicable to under-25s in France and the UK.Airbnb began cracking down last year as rowdy parties were causing problems with neighbours in certain communities, and with the coronavirus pandemic there's been even greater concern about events where social […]