News
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confinement measures which would be
subject to regional variations.
As Week 6 of the lockdown began on April
19, it was confirmed that the government
was planning to use drones to spray
disinfectant over virus hotspots. However,
rumours that military aircraft were to be
used for more indiscriminate spraying
were denied by Madrid.
Finally, a ray of hope. By April 24, some
40 days after the start of the State of
Alarm, the daily number of patients in
Spain who had recovered from the virus
was greater than the number of new cases
recorded. In addition, the number of
deaths had fallen to the lowest level since
March 22.
At the end of April, Pedro Sánchez
announced a four-phased return to a “new
normality” by the end of June, with each
region relaxing restrictions at a different
rate, depending on the impact created in
their area by the virus. However, mobility
between provinces and islands, he added,
would remain restricted.
The plans include allowing for businesses
which can take reservations to re-open
from May 4, but with strict controls in
place. This includes hairdressers, but
limits restaurants to supplying only take-
away food.
After that, regions will decide the progress
of businesses re-opening but shopping
malls will remain closed to prevent crowds
gathering. Cafés and bars will initially be
able to open tables outdoors only, but with
a maximum 30 per cent capacity, while
later phases will lighten these restrictions
further.
The Politics of a
Pandemic
Writing in The Guardian last month,
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez
called on the EU to act in solidarity to
combat the coronavirus, he said the
survival of the bloc was under threat
and called for a European economic
investment plan to help rebuild
member countries’ economies.
He has persuaded EU member
countries to create a €1 trillion
recovery fund financed through
perpetual debt, with cash awarded to
member states via grants, according to
their requirements. Previous proposals
for aid have been based on loans
which, he says, would have a negative
effect on recovering economies.
However, throughout April, the
socialist coalition led by PM Sánchez
came under fierce attack from the
While PM Sanchez’ public support
appears to have remained steady, it has
been a different story in Parliament.
Deputies have now voted twice to
extend the State of Alarm, but the
number of members voting “Yes” fell
from 92 per cent to 78 per cent in the
second vote last month. Breaking the
unity which Sr Sánchez has called for
during the crisis were VOX and the
Catalan separatists.
Criminal probe into
care home deaths
A criminal investigation has opened
into 37 care homes across Spain where
elderly patients were allegedly “left to
die.” Families of the victims claim
they were not tested for COVID-19,
were not given health care and were
not permitted visits from their
relatives.
Low incidence The Public Prosecutor is reported to
be investigating 124 private cases
while the Patients’ Ombudsman is
looking into a further 200 complaints.
Estimates put the number who have
died after contracting the virus in
Spanish care homes at over 11,000. If
negligence is confirmed, the owners
of nursing and residential homes, as
well as their staff and local authorities,
could face charges of criminal neglect
or even manslaughter.
Nerja has recorded just seven cases of
Covid-19, according to official data
released towards the end of April.
Frigiliana has recorded four, Torrox five
and Vélez-Málaga 107. Regionally,
Andalucía has recorded one of the lowest
incidences of the virus in Spain with 11,852
cases diagnosed and 1,157 deaths up to
April 27. The homes under investigation have
not been identified but the Health
Ministry has confirmed that they lie
in eight regions, not including
Andalucía. The highest number, 19,
was in Madrid which has been worst
hit by the crisis and where one home
alone has recorded 20 deaths.
General mobility will gradually be relaxed
in the following phases, each of which is
expected to last about a fortnight, equal to
the incubation period of the virus, while
the Health Ministry will evaluate the
situation at each stage. Sr Sánchez added
that the government planned to extend
the State of Alarm from May 9 for a
further two weeks.
opposition centre-right Partido
Popular which called him a liar, even
accusing ministers of hiding the true
death count. The far-right party Vox
called for Sr Sánchez to resign and be
replaced by a government of national
unity, while Cataluña’s separatist
administration continued to rant
against what it perceives as Madrid’s
incompetence.
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Initially, data on coronavirus deaths
from many care homes was not
included in the country’s official
death toll, but by mid-April, the
government said it would seek to
harmonise the way data is collected
from the autonomous regions.
The decision came after Cataluña
started adding suspected deaths from
coronavirus, greatly increasing the
region’s total. Experts say it may be
several months before the true impact
of the virus on Spain is accurately
assessed.
Too close
The Spanish Aviation Authority is
investigating complaints about recent
flights during which passengers were
unable to maintain the recommended
separation distance from one another.
They include an Air Europa flight
from Mallorca to Ibiza with 40
passengers on board and an Iberia
flight from Madrid to Ibiza. People
who travelled on these flights are
reported to have raised complaints
initially with the Guardia Civil.