Live News From Spain As It Happens

EVEN with record numbers of temporary unemployment and forecasts of economies shrinking in practically every country in the world, the majority of Spanish households are fairly unworried about the financial future – they believe that as long as funding is there to help those affected survive until they can get back to work, customers and businesses will make up for lost time with relatively little harm done.

Marketing consultant firm Kantar carried out surveys and interviews, and its manager for consumer affairs, Edurne Uranga, says 54.7% of households in Spain believe the economy will 'go well' over the next 12 months, despite the pandemic.

This, says Sra Uranga, is 'good news' for the high street, since this level of optimism will translate to people having the confidence to spend on non-essentials without the constant fear of what may be around the corner.

Of course, this leaves 45.3% who are pessimistic – but of the total interviewed, 17% said that although they were currently in a bad place financially and struggling to cope, they expected their circumstances to improve over the next year.

Another 10.3% were in the opposite situation: They do not have any real money worries at the moment, but believe their finances will get worse over the next year.

The gloomiest of all were the 18.1% of households who were barely making ends meet and did not believe things would get any better for them within a year – although it is not clear how many were already in this situation, short-term or long-term, before the Covid-19 crisis.

Customer services office manager Joan Riera said optimism or pessimism about the national economy and their personal finances was not the end of the story: The health situation would also guide consumers in their spending decisions.

In this case, though, pessimism translated to high consumer spending – those who were most concerned about their health seemed to indulge more on products that gave pleasure rather than mere staples, and were also more likely to buy organic produce and healthy foodstuffs in a bid to protect themselves more.

Life post-Coronavirus could change the way supermarkets and hypermarkets work in future, says head of Iberia Retail at Kantar, Florencio García.

“Rather than being a coup de grace, it could end up being more of a bombshell effect – for example, creating large physical spaces to ensure social distancing,” he says.

“For this reason, small, local shops could find themselves at a disadvantage in the future, although internet shopping has been given a great opportunity through the pandemic and is likely to double its sales in 2020.”

Local shops may not face quite the drawbacks García believes, though: During lockdown and now in the 'scaling down' process in which 70% of Spain is set to be on 'Phase 2', the penultimate stage, by Monday, independent boutiques, family-run retail establishments and the high street in general has shown itself to be resilient and adaptable.

Card payments for even the smallest amount are now more the norm, and town-wide campaigns are gradually being launched to attract customers again.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S gradual unlocking means shops, bars and restaurants are now starting to open – although some would say more importantly, football is kicking off again.

From Thursday, June 11, the national premier league, La Liga, and also the second division, will be back on the pitch with 11 matches already scheduled before the end of the season, which will be over the weekend of July 18 and 19.

According to La Liga's Carlos del Campo and Óscar Mayo, the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF)'s Tomás González Cueto and Andreu Camps, and the High Council for Sports (CSD)'s Juan Fernández Carnicer and Joaquín de Arístegui, the first post-lockdown game will be a southern derby between Sevilla CF and Real Betis Balompié.

“From the way conversations have developed during this first ordinary meeting of the Contact Group [the CSD, RFEF and La Liga], created...within the Code of Conduct signed by all parties, it has been concluded that there will not be any problems or difficulties with scheduling days and times for matches,” the CSD reports.

It also congratulated the three organisations – who 'met' via video-conference – for their 'spirit of dialogue' and 'keen disposition' to make things work.

“The Contact Group will meet monthly; if, however, the parties involved request it, and depending with the circumstances that arise, additional meetings may take place,” the CSD confirms.

Following the Sevilla-Betis match, the games scheduled – in chronological order – are Athletic de Bilbao vs Atlético de Madrid; Celta de Vigo vs Villarreal CF; Espanyol vs Alavés; Granada vs Getafe; Leganés vs Valladolid; Mallorca vs FC Barcelona; Real Madrid vs Eibar; Real Sociedad vs Osasuna; and the concluding match will be a local derby between Valencia CF and UD Levante.

All matches will be behind closed doors, with no spectators.

These would have taken place in March if it had not been for the pandemic.

Some may have to be held in different venues – Real Madrid's Santiago Bernabéu stadium and Levante's home arena are both undergoing renovation works at present.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

FROM Monday, 70% of Spain will be on 'Phase 2' of recovery, with Castilla y León, Madrid, the Barcelona metropolitan area and the Lleida province health departments of Alt Pirineu and the Arán Valley remaining on 'Phase 1'.

The Balearic island of Formentera and the Canarian islands of La Graciosa, La Gomera and El Hierro will move to 'Phase 3', the end of which will spell complete freedom from lockdown rules.

Although the Balearics wanted the entire region on 'Phase 3', this has not been agreed for Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza, which will remain on 'Phase 2' another week.

This was the only 'Phase 3' request - Aragón wanted some of its rural areas to move to 'Phase 3', although not the entire region, but in the end all three provinces including remote country zones and built-up areas will stay on 'Phase 2'.

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ONLINE or telephone GP appointments and other consultations could be the future of healthcare – and its potential was discussed in a video-conference meeting with over 40 experts in the field this week.

E-Salud, Cambio de Modelo Sanitario y Covid-19 ('E-Health: Change in Healthcare Approaches and Covid-19') organised in part by the Merck Health Foundation started from the premise, cited by its CEO Carmen González Madrid (top left in the photograph) that the pandemic has led to a sharp rise in use of technology between patients and doctors and that this could be taken advantage of and developed further.

Tools including Artificial Intelligence, Big Data, video-conferences, telephone-based assistance and 'online medicine' were examined from a bio-ethical, legal and patients' viewpoint.

Head of Healthcare Legal Advisors Fernando Abellán (top row, second from left, in the photograph) said: “There are reasons to believe that the processes and pace of 'digital health' are set to speed up.

“The risk of contagion is going to be around for a long while and will extend the need to use technology to reduce the presence of patients in hospitals and surgeries.”

A 'Five Ps' approach, proposed by medical director of Madrid's San Carlos Clinical University Hospital Julio Mayol (top row, second in from right in the photograph), could be the starting point: Prediction, prevention, personalisation, population-wide, and participative.

“With this crisis, during it and before it, our priorities include changing leadership methods and cultures – we need to seek leadership that transforms, in all fields of society, and offer a vision of the future,” Dr Mayol says.

“We need to reinforce the idea of health against disease; what we've seen is that when public health is affected en masse, the health service becomes overwhelmed – a crisis in providing medical services, and a crisis that's present throughout the health-sickness cycle among society.”

Geriatrician Dr Salomé Martín (top right), head of technical development at Eulen Social Health, stresses that the elderly population's ability to adapt to new technology is underestimated.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

ALL OF Spain has been on either 'Phase 1' or 'Phase 2' of 'unlocking' since Monday (May 25), and a handful are hoping to progress even further a week on.

Not every region is seeking to open up more, preferring to remain in their current 'phase' for at least another seven days until they are absolutely sure the pandemic is sufficiently under control in all their area health departments.

At the moment, all the offshore territories – the Balearic and Canary Islands and the autonomously-governed cities of Ceuta and Melilla on the northern Moroccan coast – plus the entire regions of Asturias, Galicia, Cantabria, the Basque Country, Navarra, La Rioja, Aragón, Extremadura and Murcia are all on 'Phase 2', meaning bars and restaurants can allow customers inside, although only up to 30% of their usual maximum, shops of any size can open, and residents in coastal parts can go to the beach.

The whole of Andalucía, in the south, is on 'Phase 2' except the provinces of Málaga and Granada, which remain on 'Phase 1', as does the whole of Castilla y León and the Greater Madrid region, and Castilla-La Mancha except for the provinces of Guadalajara and Cuenca, which are on 'Phase 2'.

On the east coast, the Comunidad Valenciana opted last week not to request a move to 'Phase 2', even though data from other parts of the country show it probably would have been given licence to do so.

Here, 10 out of 24 hospital catchment areas had already been on 'Phase 1' for a fortnight, which is the standard time frame the government wants each 'Phase' to continue for, whilst the remaining 14 had only been on 'Phase 1' for a week.

Regional health minister Ana Barceló wanted these 14 health departments to have been on 'Phase 1' for two weeks before moving forward, but did not request a switch to 'Phase 2' for the others, preferring the region to reopen en bloc rather than in 'patches'.

This did not please many in more rural areas and in towns with only a negligible incidence of Covid-19 – especially bar owners and customers with limited or no outside space, who had been expecting May 25 to bring a start to 'Phase 2' and their long-awaited reopening for business.

But the wider Valencia metropolitan area and its 'home counties', as well as the densely-populated Marina Baixa district – which includes Benidorm – agreed with Sra Barceló's cautious approach and considered an extra week to be a small price to pay to ensure infection rates dropped.

In some areas of the Comunidad Valenciana – such as the Marina Alta (Dénia and district), La Safor (Gandia and district) and the Vall d'Albaida and La Costera, covered by the hospitals in Xàtiva and Ontinyent, plus Torrevieja and Orihuela (southern Alicante province) and Vinaròs (northern Castellón province) – the number of new cases of Covid-19 reported in the two weeks since 'Phase 1' started ranged from 10 to 50, and most of these had had no deaths in days, or now, in weeks.

Their intensive care units are now largely Coronavirus-free, and in the Marina Alta, 71 of the 73 medical workers infected have fully recovered with the remaining two in quarantine at home rather than in hospital.

For this reason, regional president Ximo Puig has applied for the entire region to move to 'Phase 2' from Monday, and Sra Barceló says the data are 'positive', albeit 'not static', with information being shared daily and the health services 'now fully prepared' for more opening up.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

AMONG the numerous tourist attractions gradually reopening across Spain, one which should be on every traveller's bucket list started taking in visitors today (Tuesday): Mérida's Roman city.

The Mitreus House, the theatre and amphitheatre and the circus, among other incredible structures dating back over 2,500 years and still standing strong and beautiful, this visitors' Mecca in the land-locked western region of Extremadura is probably one of the most overlooked in Europe – but as soon as inter-provincial travel is allowed again, it should feature near the top of everyone's list, whether or not they are interested in history.

Even with the legal limit of one-third of the normal safe maximum, the theatre and amphitheatre still have space for up to 800 people all at once, says the heritage conservation manager of the Mérida Monument City, Félix Palma.

Hand-sanitiser and masks are compulsory and handed out at the entrance, and extra security is on site to ensure everyone sticks to the rules, plus tickets are being sold online to avoid person-to-person contact – and visitors are strongly encouraged to buy theirs this way if they have the facilities to do so.

“We want to assure the public they are completely safe here, because we've made sure they will be, but we also want to urge the public to visit us,” Palma says.

Despite the fact people travel across continents to see other Roman ruins of equal or even lesser quality and conservation, the vast majority of those who go to Mérida are from Extremadura's neighbours, Madrid, Andalucía and Portugal.

But there are plenty of them: Last year alone, 426,000 visited this UNESCO heritage site.

Its progressive reopening is aimed at pulling in tourists to Extremadura – a region with much the same weather as the southern holiday hotspot of Andalucía but with far fewer visitors because of its not having a beach.

This said, the Roman ruins are among the many features that ensures the region gets tourists year-round, not just in summer, meaning its economy is far less seasonal than coastal areas.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

IT WAS practically inevitable and would not have taken a genius in marketing to come up with the idea, but now it's started, it's bound to continue in every other field: Spain's top football teams have started selling protective masks bearing their colours and logo, with everyone from Barça and Atlético de Madrid through to Huesca FC now at it.

Nobody is quite sure which country, team or even sport the idea first occurred to, given that the United States' national basketball association, the NBA, is now selling souvenir masks for its various teams with the proceeds going to charity, whilst Bayern Munich has recycled club scarves to make nice warm masks in case the weather does not improve in the next few weeks or they still need to be worn in winter.

The latter had planned to give out its official scarves during the now-aborted match for the return of the Champions' League at the Allianz Arena against Chelsea FC, to celebrate the German club's 120^th anniversary.

Instead, the scarves have become masks bearing the slogan, 'WeKickCorona'.

FC Barcelona is selling its own blue-and-maroon official souvenir masks at its Barça Store on the Passeig de Gràcia, the city's main shopping street, and also online via the Barça Store at the club's Camp Nou stadium.

They will roll out to future Barça Stores due to open over the next few weeks.

These masks are reusable and protection against Covid-19 transmission is guaranteed by the manufacturers for up to 40 washes, and for a maximum of eight hours between washes.

As well as the adult versions, masks designed to fit children aged three to six and also seven to 12 have been designed.

By law, everyone aged six or over is required to wear a mask in any enclosed space, on public transport, in private transport where one or more occupants is not from the same household as the driver, and in outside areas where social distancing – a minimum of two metres between people from different households – cannot be guaranteed.

The only exceptions are those with health problems which would make it dangerous or extremely uncomfortable to wear one – such as respiratory conditions – or when practising sports that would make it too difficult to breathe with a mask on, or in restaurants, cafés and bars where it is impossible to eat and drink with a face-covering.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

CONCERNS about foreign visitors being quarantined for a fortnight upon arrival in Spain voiced in the British press have proven unfounded – when Spanish borders reopen for international tourism, this requirement will be lifted.

As reported yesterday (Sunday), president Pedro Sánchez's announcement that holidaymakers from abroad would be able to visit again from July 1 was widely celebrated in the UK media, although The Sun and the Daily Mail warned that travellers may be stuck in their accommodation for two weeks before they could enjoy their trips – in fact, The Sun even said a week's holiday in Spain would require British residents to spare five weeks in total; two weeks for quarantine on arrival, then another two upon their return.

The Mirror, however, said 'nothing had been announced' about the compulsory quarantine and that it expected requirements would change in time for the holiday season.

Today, deputy presidents Nadia Calviño and Teresa Ribera, along with foreign affairs minister Arancha González Laya, held a meeting with the leaders of the interior (Fernando Grande-Marlaska), transport (José Luis Ábalos), health (Salvador Illa) and industry, trade and tourism (Reyes Maroto).

The inter-ministerial session was convened to analyse issues concerning the tourist season and how to guarantee a safe holiday for the millions of visitors from abroad, Spaniards taking 'staycations' and residents in Spain.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

IF YOU DON'T have access to a car or bike, getting to work could mean facing pavement crowds or packed public transport every day, with all the risks that these entail during a pandemic – and, conscious of this, Pablo Pedraz from Gijón (Asturias) has found another way of making sure nobody gets within two metres of him on his commute.

He doesn't even need to wear a mask.

Pablo, 46, works at Miele, an electrical appliances chain, on Gijón's C/ Torcuato Fernández-Miranda, two kilometres from where he lives – but it takes him just over an hour to get there.

He swims from his seafront home to Staircase 15 (pictured) on San Lorenzo beach in a neoprene diving suit every morning, and then swims home again at night.

“I really think this is the way of maintaining the social distancing that's so necessary right now,” says Pablo.

“And while I'm at it, I can combine commuting with exercise.”

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

IT'S A taste of what could come in the near future and one which is hoped will quickly spread to all 19 of Spain's autonomously-governed territories – but one of these has become the first in the country to have no active cases of Covid-19 whatsoever.

Although not entirely Coronavirus-free – four people still test positive for the condition, but are asymptomatic and otherwise in perfect health – nobody is in hospital with it, and not even anyone in quarantine at home.

Melilla, one of Europe's only two enclaves sharing a land border with the African continent, is directly across the water south of Almería and sits on the northern Moroccan coast, close to this country's frontier with Algeria.

As at the end of last year, it was home to 84,689 people, and at the worst point in the pandemic, over 130 at any one time were infected with Covid-19.

Two people in the entire city-province have died from the condition so far this year.

“Melilla has the best figures for the whole of Spain in terms of mortality percentage, and in terms of numbers, the lowest incidence of the disease and lowest death rate, as well as the lowest accumulated incidence of Covid-19 in the country,” says regional public health minister Mohammed Mohand.

MP in Melilla Sabrina Moh recalls that the first diagnosis was made on March 12.

Both politicians in the city – who are on the PSOE (socialist) party, the same as the national government – urge residents to remember two points: “One, the hope for a return to normality, but two, to remain very conscious that this hasn't finished. The virus still exists and, therefore, we need to behave with the right level of diligence, and even more now that we're winning the battle.

“We're still playing with fire. Coronavirus kills, let's not forget. We've overcome a major hurdle, but we haven't finished the race.

“How the pandemic evolves from here depends entirely on all of us, and we mustn't let our guards down – the virus is still here amongst us, and the danger has not disappeared.”

Mohand, who is also regional minister for economy and social policy in the tripartite government of Melilla – made up of the socialists (led by Gloria Rojas), centre-right Ciudadanos (led by Melilla regional president Eduardo de Castro González) and the independent Coalition For Melilla, or CPM (led by Mustafa Aberchán) – speaks positively about the enclave's recovery.

“Here, we're getting back our hotel and catering and our retailing industries; we're starting to go back and see our families; we're starting to make contact again with our loved ones, and we need to stick to the staged transitions or phases agreed so we can carry on moving forward towards a new normality,” Mohand stresses.

“Today [for Saturday], after 70 days of intense efforts on the part of Melilla's health service, we've reached one of the main goals we set for ourselves as soon as we became aware of the first two Covid-19 positives.

“Our healthcare personnel has worked really hard on many fronts, but despite their huge efforts, they were unable to prevent, sadly, two Melilla residents dying.

“For this reason, we now need to be extra-cautious – avoid gatherings, maintain social distancing, wash our hands - and especially during the upcoming fiestas.”

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

HOLIDAY booking websites have reported their servers almost crashing as the rest of the world flocks online to grab themselves a trip to Spain.

President Pedro Sánchez's announcement that it will now be safe to travel to the country from the beginning of July has led to flood-barriers opening and a surge of reservations at a rate rarely seen before.

“There will be a tourism season this summer,” Sánchez says firmly.

“It'll start with July.”

But 'safety conditions' at destination and also in countries of origin have to be guaranteed, he warns.

These will be assured for Spain, although whether or not travel is permitted from certain world regions will depend upon their own Covid-19 situations.

“Spain needs tourism,” Sánchez says – probably unnecessarily, although those living and working in parts of the country which rely heavily upon the holiday industry are relieved to hear that the central government recognises this.

Practically as soon as Sánchez had finished his Parliamentary announcement, holiday booking portals such as Rumbo, Atrápalo, Expedia, Kayak and Booking almost trebled within seconds.

Spain, in a 'normal' year, welcomes around 80 million visitors from abroad – nearly twice as many as the permanent, year-round population – meaning traders and employees in the hotel and catering industries or in sectors linked closely to these were starting to sweat at the thought Spain may be shut for the summer.

Even though the UK is far from out of the water in terms of Covid-19, the British press has already headlined Sánchez's announcement.

The Daily Mail's story title declared: “Back to Benidorm in JULY! Spanish PM tells tourists 'we're waiting for you' as he vows to 'safely' reopen hotspots ahead of more lockdown easing on Monday.”

Meanwhile, The Mirror writes: “Breaking: Spain tells Brits to start planning holidays,” and The Sun reported: “Brits abroad? Spain announces plans to welcome foreign tourists in July as hopes grow for Brit holidaymakers.”

But both The Sun and the Mail questioned whether current rules about 14 days' quarantine in both the UK and Spain for anyone entering from outside will stop British nationals from travelling.

This said, it is expected that the plans to reopen Spain for international holidaymakers will, by default, come without any quarantine requirements for incomers.

Whilst the Mail headline presupposes that for UK tourists, 'Spain' means 'Benidorm', The Sun shows a photo of a beach that appears to be Peñíscola (Castellón province), a low-density and relatively unspoilt part of the east coast that has yet to be fully discovered by Brits, and the Mirror cover picture is of Tenerife's Playa del Duque in the Costa Adeje area with a second illustration of Sanxenxo (Pontevedra province) beach in Galicia and a third of Magaluf, Mallorca, in the daytime, also showing Norwegian holidaymakers as well as Brits.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SEVERAL regions in Spain have applied to move forward to the next stage of 'recovery', at least in part, with the majority seeking to shift to 'Phase 2', allowing bars and restaurants to open their insides subject to being a maximum of 50% full, among other new freedoms.

It will not be known until the weekend, or just before, which applications have been accepted and on what basis.

Andalucía, the southern strip of the mainland, has been on 'Phase 1' since Monday, May 11, except the provinces of Málaga and Granada, which were on 'Phase 0' until Monday, May 18 – now, the regional government wants all eight of its provinces on 'Phase 2' from Monday, May 25, and for movement between these to be reinstated, given that many of its built-up coastal areas flow into each other and cross provincial borders.

It is not willing to have a 'two-speed unlocking', with some provinces on 'Phase 1' and others on 'Phase 2', but the central government has already said each phase should be a minimum of two weeks, meaning the only way for most of Andalucía to get its wish would be if Granada and Málaga were left behind for another week – something the regional Parliament is not likely to accept.

In the Balearic Islands, Formentera is already a stage ahead of the rest of the country and has been on 'Phase 2' for nearly a week, and the regional government wants the rest of its territory to follow suit – Ibiza, Mallorca and Menorca – and for residents to be able to travel between islands.

The Canary Islands is in the same situation: El Hierro, La Graciosa and La Gomera have been on 'Phase 2' since Monday, and its government wants the other islands – Tenerife, Gran Canaria, La Palma, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura – to join them.

Murcia hopes to move to 'Phase 2', but with 'some restrictions', which regional president Fernando López Miras has not detailed, although he wants the town of Totana to remain on 'Phase 1' in light of five farm workers testing positive for Covid-19 last week.

On the east coast, the Comunidad Valenciana has not requested a move to 'Phase 2'; by Monday, 10 of its 24 area health departments will have been on 'Phase 1' for two weeks, with the other 14 only having graduated from 'Phase 0' four days ago.

Regional health minister Ana Barceló wants to wait until Monday, June 1 before stepping up recovery, as a matter of 'prudence', even though 'the figures are good'.

The Valencia region 'is doing well in epidemiological terms', although a small number of newly-diagnosed cases – around six – means Sra Barceló wants to play it safe.

Regional president of Aragón, Javier Lambán, wants this to move to 'Phase 2', given its very rural, spread-out nature, although the transition may be held up by Zaragoza, Spain's fourth-largest city, being right in the middle.

“If they say that Zaragoza, being a big city, needs to hold back and the rest of the region, or just the provinces of Huesca and Teruel but not that of Zaragoza, can move forward, then we'll agree to a two-speed progress,” says Lambán.

“Zaragoza fully understands this.”

According to regional newspaper, El Heraldo de Aragón, out of the 46 hospital catchment areas with more than 1,000 actual or suspected cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants, 25 of these are in Zaragoza city.

Asturias, on the north coast, a single-province region like Murcia, wants to move to 'Phase 2' and is calling for 'greater flexibility' on time slots by age for going out for walks and on the distance from home – currently one kilometre, or, in the case of runners and cyclists, within the same town even if this is more than a kilometre – as well as a change in criteria for numbers in bars and restaurants, based upon physical distance and health and safety measures in place rather than merely a 50% maximum.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

TRAVELLING between provinces is not yet allowed during Spain's 'unlocking', which is most inconvenient for those living close to a border – they can legally visit someone nearly 200 kilometres away, but not someone five kilometres away. However, 'borderliners' like these could have it a lot worse: When your town sits across two provinces, it means you can wave to your opposite neighbour but cannot go to see them, and you may not be able to pop to your local shop.

This is the bizarre situation residents in the town of El Cuervo have found themselves in: One side of the village is in the province of Cádiz, and the other in the province of Sevilla.

And it means the two members of a musical band who live just metres from each other cannot practice together, even though both provinces are in 'Phase 1', meaning if they lived on the same side of the street, they would have no problems in popping round each others' houses.

Astola & Ratón decided to stage a live open-air concert – the first known outdoor gig since Spain went into lockdown – standing either side of the province border to ensure they did not break the rules.

Alejandro Astola, 30, originally from Sevilla and the co-founder of the band Fondo Flamenco, and Diego 'El Ratón' Pozo Torregrosa, 45, from Jerez de la Frontera (Cádiz province), co-founder of the band Los Delinqüentes, drew a line down the middle of the Avenida de Cádiz exactly where they knew the provincial frontier sits.

Their gig was, they said, a symbol of union between two provinces whose inhabitants cannot travel to each other yet.

Around 200 of El Cuervo's residents live in the part of the village which belongs, in administrative and jurisdiction terms, to Jerez de la Frontera.

The vast majority, however, live in the Sevilla part – in total, El Cuervo has 8,628 residents, according to the 2018 census, and its postal address is considered to be in the province of Sevilla, despite having two streets, which belong to that of Cádiz.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S government has amended its rules on wearing masks in public – initially only mandatory on public transport or in private cars when travelling with persons not from the same household – and has now announced they will be required anywhere that physical distancing cannot be guaranteed.

From tomorrow (Wednesday), surgical or hygiene masks – the latter being of a lower protection level and of the type typically used by people with a cold when around babies or the elderly – must be worn inside buildings open to the public and also on the street, except where it is easy to maintain a distance of at least two metres (6'6”) between oneself and others.

Health minister Salvador Illa points out: “There's a big difference between going for a walk in the countryside, and going for a walk in a crowded city.”

In the former, a person is unlikely to run into others and, if they do, should have no problems in avoiding getting close to them, but in a busy supermarket, for example, or whilst walking along a city-centre pavement, social distancing may not always be easy.

Head of Spain's Health Emergencies and Alerts Coordination Centre, Fernando Simón, has urged the public to be 'responsible' since 'it is not always easy to ascertain the distance' between oneself and the next person.

“In the event of any uncertainty, the logical thing to do is to put your mask on,” Simón stresses.

“The main thing to take into account is that it's crucial to use these when there's a risk of exposing yourself or others to possible infection.”

Illa's department has been criticised for making masks compulsory two months after the State of Alarm was announced and at a time when most of Spain is now in 'Phase 1' of recovery – with small shops open subject to limited numbers, and pavement cafés operating at 50% - but he stresses that doing so now is as a 'precaution', since before, with everyone required to stay at home except for essential errands, there was less likelihood of coming into contact with others.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

PARTS of Spain may be able to enter into 'Phase 2' of recovery within another week or two, and if the current warm weather holds out, will at last be able to go to the beach and use the pool.

Although some beaches opened exclusively for watersports for those living within less than a kilometre before 'Phase 0' came into action, they remain off limits for walking, swimming or sunbathing and for anyone who has to travel more than a kilometre to reach them.

This is not the case on the Balearic island of Formentera or in the Canary islands of El Hierro, La Gomera and La Graciosa, however, since all of these have been on 'Phase 2' since this morning (Monday).

Swimming pools, whether they are public ones or communal facilities on urbanisations, will be able to be used with 'Phase 2' as long as a maximum of 30% of the usually permitted number of bathers are in them at any one time, and all swimmers must keep two metres away from each other, except in the case of people who live in the same household.

It is likely that bathers will have to reserve a slot, or be given a maximum time in the water, to prevent some people from hogging the pool and others not getting a look-in.

Where it is not possible to stay two metres apart when a pool's maximum capacity is at 30%, this percentage will be reduced further until physical distancing can be adhered to.

Disinfecting and thorough cleaning will be required at the beginning and end of every day, and throughout the day for enclosed spaces such as toilets or changing rooms.

All other equipment and materials, such as lane-dividers, ticket booths and equipment used for swimming classes must be disinfected before and after use.

The types of disinfectant required are contained with Annex V of EU regulation 528/2012 of May 22, and include bleach diluted on a 1:50 ratio immediately before application.

Health authorities will expect pool staff to pay particular attention to parts which are regularly touched by members of the public – door handles and hand-rails, for example – which must be disinfected three times a day at least.

Beaches will not necessarily require 'shifts', although Galicia has announced it may organise a 'bathing rota' in some of its much smaller coves.

The main requirement is that bathers keep two metres apart - meaning scenes like in the above photograph, of Ibiza's Platja d'En Bossa, will become a thing of the past - and regularly wash their hands.

Groups of any size will be allowed if they all live in the same household, but otherwise, are limited to 15 – which will be the case with all meetings between people during 'Phase 2'.

Sports on beaches will have to involve physical distancing and must be individual in nature – meaning tennis or informal bat-and-ball games will probably be permitted, but volleyball, for example, may not.

Toilets, on beaches or at swimming pools, must 'guarantee constant levels of cleanliness and hygiene' and 'always have soap and/or hand-sanitiser and toilet paper available' – requirements which, it is hoped, will stay in place indefinitely – and only one person is allowed in a cubicle at a time, unless the user needs physical assistance, when a carer or assistant is also permitted entry.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

HEALTH authorities in Spain are working on regulations for wearing masks in public to become compulsory, although at the moment, this only applies to transport.

Later, it may become mandatory for going shopping, out walking, or to bars and restaurants – even though, of course, customers will need to take their masks off whilst actually eating and drinking.

Health minister Salvador Illa strongly recommends masks being worn in these situations anyway, but recalls that their use is already obligatory in private and public transport in order to prevent a rise in Covid-19 cases resulting from Spain's gradual 'unlocking'.

This said, most small shops and hairdressing salons – the only premises besides bars, restaurants and essential services such as supermarkets which are currently allowed to open – normally require customers to wear masks when entering, and to use hand sanitiser at the door, even if they are wearing surgical gloves from home.

Those of State pension age – 65-plus, whether or not they are actually retired – are normally entitled to free masks, and some towns have been delivering free ones to all residents irrespective of age or risk factor, although for those who cannot get theirs free, they cost a maximum of 65 cents each, nearly all pharmacies now have them in stock, and Mercadona supermarkets are selling them in packs of 10 for €6.

At present, all new Covid-19 cases reported are among health service and care workers rather than the general public - even in Madrid, the hardest-hit part of the country – but authorities do not want this fact to make the rest of society complacent, believing that if they are not in direct contact with patients, they are completely safe.

A national, but temporary, law – TMA/384/2020 of May 3, and updated via TMA/400/2020 of May 9 – requires that 'masks which cover nose and mouth' be worn 'by all users of bus, coach, rail, air or sea transport', and also for anyone in private or company cars, taxis, vans, lorries or any other vehicle of with up to nine seats, including the driver and any other transport workers on board or who have direct contact with passengers.

Masks are not compulsory in private or company cars or other vehicles of up to nine seats, even for the driver, where all those travelling inside it live in the same household, and all seats in these vehicles can be occupied, front and back.

Where any occupant in these vehicles does not live in the same household as the rest of those on board, everyone, driver included, must wear a mask, and only two people per row of seats can travel in the car.

The same applies to taxis, although where all passengers live in the same household, they can travel at up to three per row of seats, provided the vehicle is designed for this.

Where vehicles only have one row of seats, such as vans, only two people – including the driver – can travel together, both required to wear masks and keep as much distance between them as possible.

If this distance cannot be guaranteed, no passengers are allowed.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

TRAVELLING and tourism within the European Union may start to reopen soon – or, at least, the European Commission is in favour of beginning to relax international movement within the bloc, and has issued a series of recommendations to member States.

The Commission says that, in general terms, it would like to start replacing the total travel ban in force at the moment with 'more focused measures', such as identifying which parts of Europe are 'starting to become safe', using a three-stage recovery system – much like that in use in Spain at present – and by reducing density in transport, such as requiring fewer passengers on airlines.

“At the moment, the epidemiological situation means it would be ill-advised to lift travel restrictions altogether, but this should be done in 'phases' like those put into operation in various countries,” the Commission says.

It proposes a bloc-wide 'scaling down' of the lockdown in three stages – 'Phases' 0, 1 and 2.

Spain's own 'unlocking' is in four phases – 0, 1, 2 and 3 – with, from Monday, all the country except the Greater Madrid region, the Barcelona metropolitan area and around half the health departments in Castilla y León on 'Phase 1', the former zones on 'Phase 0' and the islands of Formentera (Balearics) and El Hierro, La Gomera and La Graciosa (Canaries) on 'Phase 2'.

Europe in 'Phases'

The European Commission considers the bloc to be in 'Phase 0' right now – with borders between member States still shut, but the countries in question starting to apply mechanisms to gradually open up restrictions on movement.

'Phase 1' in Europe will see a 'partial' lifting of border controls and restrictions, and if this cannot be across the board and immediate, an easing off could start between 'regions, areas or member States' whose 'situation and evolution' in terms of virus control are similar.

An example could be travel permitted between northern Spain and southern France, but not between southern Spain and France, nor between southern and northern France – or perhaps between Spain and the Scandinavian countries but not between Spain and Italy; or maybe anywhere within eastern Europe but not western Europe.

As yet, the respective situations in each member State, or parts thereof, are not clear enough to be able to work out a possible strategy, but it is expected this will be on the cards soon.

Where travel between two areas or countries whose contagion situation is different – one being farther ahead and nearer recovery than another – 'extra steps' will be taken when crossing borders, including 'additional vigilance and control'.

“We need to take into account the domestic situation – that is, whether restriction on movement is now being relaxed within a country a person is travelling from or to – as our starting point,” the Commission explains.

Authorisation by the different member nations to travel to given areas must be in an 'informed and coordinated manner', based on 'three criteria' and cannot be 'discriminatory', the Commission warns – meaning permission to travel must be for all territories which comply with the criteria and for all citizens, with no 'cherry-picking' between them.

As an example, if Spain, Portugal and France were all in similar situations concerning the Covid-19 pandemic, Spain could not allow its residents to travel to Portugal but not France, and could not permit travel to 'Spanish nationals only'.

Also, says the Commission, no country will be permitted to open borders with neighbouring countries but not with anywhere else in the EU – the criteria to follow will be based upon the 'epidemiological situation' in given member States, not the distance between them. So, for example, if Portugal, France and Germany were in a similar position to Spain, then Spain would not be allowed to permit travel to Portugal and France but not Germany.

'Phase 1' for Europe would also relax restrictions on travel for people with family members in another member State, and also for work reasons – as an example, in some central and eastern countries such as Austria, Hungary, Czechia, south-eastern Germany and Slovakia, many workers commute 'abroad' for their jobs; residents in relatively small, land-locked nations surrounded by other countries say they have very little European immigration, because their 'foreign' workforce simply drives across the border twice a day.

At present, most of these people will have been prevented from going to work for some weeks, purely because doing so meant leaving the country every morning.

'Phase 1' in Europe would mean 'prioritising' cross-border movements in 'key areas of the economy', says the Commission – which may well include international tourism, in the case of Spain and other Mediterranean nations where the holiday industry forms a major chunk of their income.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

 A NATURAL sleep hormone could be the key to guarding against Covid-19, halting its progress and relieving its symptoms, according to Spanish researchers – although they do not recommend, of course, that people take it unless they need it, or that they avoid social distancing believing they are immune.

Alejandro Romero Martínez, professor of toxicology at Madrid's Complutense University and one of the country's most-lauded experts in his field, says melatonin – the natural chemical which controls the sleep-wake cycle and is largely responsible for the effects of daylight and night-time darkness on circadian rhythms, or the human body-clock – has already shown itself to contribute towards preventing tumour grown and spread, and to be an effective anti-inflammatory, and may also keep some of the worst of the Coronavirus symptoms at bay.

“Its multiple benefits have led to a high number of researchers testing it in experimental modules and in clinical trials on a large range of pathologies,” reveals Romero Martínez.

“Melatonin is not a compound capable of reducing the virus levels in the human organism, nor does it act on enzymes that are involved in multiplying the virus, but it does possess multiple indirect anti-viral actions.

“Among the symptoms we have observed with Covid-19 are poor sleep quality and headaches, and this is where the benefits of melatonin could be key.”

Dr Romero Martínez, 42, from Palmeira, in Ribeira (A Coruña province), who holds a PhD in biology, says melatonin supplements may be useful with the new Coronavirus as an anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and immune system stimulator.

“As well as relieving some of the symptoms of the infection, its properties could work as a therapeutic agent – slowing down, by a little or by a lot, the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus within the body; but we'll only know how efficient it is when we get the results of clinical trials.”

Melatonin, which is often a key ingredient in over-the-counter supplements taken for insomnia or constant sleep interruptions, is also very safe, with few side-effects at high doses, meaning it could be administered to contribute towards preventing or lowering the risk of contagion – particularly in the case of medical workers, carers and anyone else who may come into contact with the virus but who has not yet caught it.

It could be that if a person being dosed with melatonin does become infected, the effects of this chemical – released naturally from the pineal gland in the brain – may put the body on alert so as to be ready to fight off the virus if it enters the organism.

“Administering melatonin in combination with other drugs might not only improve the condition of patients already infected, but could even reduce possible side-effects of the virus treatment drugs themselves,” Dr Romero says.

Clinical trials have started in several hospitals in Spain, the main one being at Madrid's La Paz University Hospital and supported by seven others.

Medical staff constantly being exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus through their jobs are being given two milligrams of melatonin to see whether it protects them.

So far, 450 healthcare workers on the front line are taking the supplement.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

GOING out for a walk, a jog, or cycling remains limited to the boundaries of your town, and a maximum of a kilometre from home if you're just going out for a stroll. And for joggers and cyclists in Madrid, Barcelona or Valencia, this generally gives them sufficient scope.

But spare a thought for the 687 inhabitants in the village of Emperador, north of Valencia: Their entire municipality is just 33,000 square metres, or 8.2 acres.

That means one person per 43 square metres, or one resident for roughly the size of a one-bedroomed UK flat.

Given that Emperador's population is less than 5,000, it does not have to worry about time slots for going out exercising – but that makes it even harder to avoid overcrowding.

In fact, the actual village itself, from one end to the other, is only 200 metres, and its municipal boundaries do not extend much beyond another 50 or so in any direction.

Residents pop into the next towns, Museros to the north or Albalat dels Sorells to the south, to go to the supermarket – and even then, they can walk it in under 10 minutes.

The problem Emperador faced when Spain's population was given licence to leave the house for reasons other than essential errands was that it was practically impossible to stick to social distancing rules – doing so would mean popping out of town, which is not permitted.

And Emperador, being in Valencia city's 'home counties' and within the metropolitan zone hospital catchment areas, is still on 'Phase 0', restricting residents' movement still further.

“There are loads of fields and farmland outside the village, where there's little chance of crowds building up, so they'd be ideal for walking, running or cycling,” says mayor Alberto Bayarri.

“But they're outside Emperador's municipal boundaries, so they're off limits.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

SPAIN'S airlines association says travelling by plane is 'the safest form of public transport, even in times of Covid-19', due to its atmospheric filtering system.

In a bid to reassure a concerned public and prevent a mass boycott of aeroplanes - once travel conditions return to normal – due to fears of contagion, the Spanish Airlines Association (ALA) has explained how the air passengers breathe during flights is safer than almost anywhere on the ground.

Planes use a High-Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filter system in the cabin, which eliminates 99.9% of bacteria and viral and fungal particles in the atmosphere – and the air onboard is completely replaced and renewed every two to three minutes.

Those who come back from a holiday or trip abroad with a cold and say they must have caught it on the plane are almost certainly, therefore, mistaken – they are likely to have picked it up at their destination, or at the airport if they were among large crowds.

“Air in the cabin never stays still, it never becomes stagnant,” insists the ALA.

“It's a mixture of air drawn in from outside the plane, and air purified by the HEPA system.”

Given the altitude, air 'sucked in' from outside the aircraft to supply onboard systems is naturally virus-free, since no living organism lives that far up in the sky.

Additionally, the air inside the cabin flows up and down rather than backwards and forwards, meaning it is less likely to 'blow' viral particles between passengers.

“And it's in permanent circulation, so particles the size of a Coronavirus are eliminated by the HEPA filters,” explains the ALA.

“For this reason, air travel is the safest form of public transport, even in times of Covid-19.”

HEPA filters on aeroplanes are the same as those used in operating theatres to prevent bacteria, fungus and virii from causing infection to patients in surgery.

Some airlines in Spain are still operating, for national flights only.

Mostly, these are for key workers who use them to commute, and between the Canary Islands where residents of one island may need to travel to another for medical appointments or legal or administrative matters.

Ryanair has revealed it will shortly be operating 40% of its flights, although with borders shut, these are likely to be internal only.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

CARLOS Sainz Junior is about to become only the third Spaniard ever to drive for Ferrari after Fernando Alonso and the Marquis of Portago, and is reported to be closing a deal with the Italian scuderia to replace outgoing Sebastian Vettel in 2021.

The latter, who burst onto the scene in 2015 and swept the board, netting four world championships on the trot with Red Bull before moving to Ferrari, but during his time on the team has not produced results and never been a real candidate for the top title.

Negotiations between Ferrari and Vettel over his contract for next year have recently broken down as neither party was willing to budge.

Vettel was reportedly facing a huge salary cut and would lose his 'star status' to team-mate Charles LeClerc, although he insists money was not the issue and that the main problem was 'no common interest in remaining contractually-bound'.

Carlos Sainz Senior, who won this year's Dakar Rally, said his son was 'happy where he was' with McLaren, but realised that if he was to progress in his career, he would have to belong to one of the élite teams and, when he was head-hunted, agreed to start talks.

With Ferrari, Sainz will be very much a small fish in a big pond, and it is clear from the start that he will be 'number two' driver to LeClerc and have to put aside any real ambitions for personal glory for a while.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

MERCADONA founder Juan Roig will donate his salary and dividends for this year to helping to prop up the economy so that workers, traders and the self-employed who were forced to take unpaid leave can get funding to help them back on their feet.

He has also put all full-time staff on a four-day week on full pay 'until the health crisis is over'.

Entry-level supermarket staff earn a minimum of €1,300 a month in their first year, rising to a take-home of nearly €1,500 by their third year, have every Sunday and bank holiday off – other than in exceptional circumstances, such as when the Valencia region's Fallas festival clashed with Easter and meant nearly six non-working days on the trot – and maternity and paternity leave is automatically extended on full pay by another 30 days.

Employees get a share of the profits every year, and some of the larger stores even have an in-house crèche so parents have the choice of being able to continue working up to full-time hours without having to pay for childcare.

Roig, who normally pays himself €9.7 million a year, will hand over this sum for a whole year to invest in the micro-economy, and in addition, will give up the €65m in dividends he earned from the whole of 2018 from his shares in the business.

Staff will now be working four days on, three days off for the foreseeable future, without any reduction to their pay – in fact, the opposite; since the start of lockdown, all employees have been given a 20% pay increase each month as a reward for their extra efforts.

Roig says that at any one time, two-thirds of the staff team will be on duty and the other third off.

To cope with the extra demand, Mercadona took on an additional 600 people at the beginning of the lockdown period, mostly in transport operations.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

TEMPORARY lay-offs during lockdown can remain in place until June 30, by which time the government expects normality to have returned to the business environment, confirms work minister Yolanda Díaz.

At first, companies were only allowed to lay staff off until they reopened – which is starting to happen in most of the country around now – and was causing widespread concern amongst traders who feared they would not be able to afford to pay salaries until they started making money again.

Although concessions have been made for business owners' rent or mortgage on their premises, taxes and Social Security payments, utility bills and other costs whilst they have not been able to trade, it will take time before they are completely back on track financially; especially as many are still limited to how many customers they can attend to on the premises, potentially cutting their takings.

Not prolonging the lay-off period beyond immediate reopening could put jobs in danger, but firms being allowed to keep staff temporarily off duty with no pay means employment is more likely to be kept safe.

Employees laid off can claim dole money instantly, even if they have not made sufficient contributions either throughout their working life or since they last needed to claim, and existing dole entitlement they have built up will not be affected or depleted by claiming as a result of the lockdown forcing businesses to close.

Once the legal lay-off period is over, on June 30, employees will all go back to work and their jobs must be kept safe for a minimum of six months from then.

The only exception to this is if their company is at risk of having to call in the receivers, the prelude to shutting down altogether, unless they make staff redundant.

Spanish laws covering job loss mean that a person who is sacked, rather than made redundant, has to receive the maximum pay-off, so under normal circumstances, 'finding a reason' to fire someone will not save a firm redundancy money.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

REGIONAL governments are free to decide whether or not to keep the age-related time slots for walking or other exercising in parts of the country now on 'Phase 1' of recovery, health minister Salvador Illa says.

It was Extremadura's regional president, Guillermo Fernández Vara, who initially called for each of Spain's 17 autonomous communities – 19 counting the north African territories of Ceuta and Melilla – to be allowed to decide for themselves whether to continue setting limits on non-essential outings.

At present, children under 14 can go for walks with one adult from the same household – up to three children per adult – between noon and 19.00; those aged 70 and over can do so between 10.00 and noon or from 19.00 to 20.00, and everyone aged 14 to 69 inclusive can go out for walks, runs, bike rides or other exercise within a kilometre radius for the first of these and within the same town for the rest between 06.00 and 10.00 and 20.00 and 23.00.

Vara is among those who believe there is 'little sense' in restricting pleasure outings and exercise to set times when, for example, supermarkets largely shut at 20.00, meaning children, the over-70s and older teens and younger adults will all be out of the house anyway, and bars in 'Phase 1' zones are open subject to being a maximum of 50% full, whilst shops of under 400 metres are now letting in customers in limited numbers without appointment.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

WITH summer looming close on the horizon, residents in Spain keen to get to the beach or use their urbanisation pool as soon as it does, and northern Europe eager to get to Spanish shores for a sunny holiday, a thorough investigation of how the 'new' Coronavirus interacts with sand, sea and chlorinated water is set to be key to finding out whether normality can resume sooner or later.

The National Research Council (CSIC) was commissioned a week ago by the Spanish Institute for Quality in Tourism (ICTE) to carry out an exhaustive study on these hitherto unanswered questions.

It has now revealed its findings, and a lot of it could be good news – although procedures need to be set up to keep everyone as safe as possible.

Talks have been ongoing about what to do, but nothing is official and some of it seems unworkable – 'shifts' for using communal or public pools could be impractical, and setting up metacrylic screens on beaches has been ruled out as bathers between them would literally fry.

Beaches should be open for general use by the time the country enters into 'Phase 3', the final stage of 'recovery', but swimming pool openings have not been confirmed as yet.

Still, the CSIC's 17-page report on whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus can survive in water, on sand, or even in sea breeze, based upon scientific evidence currently available, should help the health authorities come to a decision soon.

The CSIC starts by recalling that the main transmission channels are person-to-person contact, and through the droplets emitted when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

For this reason, it continues to recommend social distancing on beaches and near pools.

The institution has confirmed there is 'no evidence' of the presence of any type of Coronavirus in mains water, but that it is possible for traces of it to survive in waste water.

Sea water

According to the CSIC, there is 'no scientific evidence' that the virus can survive in salty water, and salt has been shown to be 'an effective biocide', or capable of killing off viral particles.

For this reason, it believes the SARS-CoV-2 is unlikely to be present, or in enough quantity, to pose a risk in sea water, and that the probability of its being transmitted this way is 'very limited'.

This said, the virus could reach the sea through waste water pumped into it.

However, if it is treated properly beforehand, its harmful effects are expected to be limited.

Waste water becomes diluted when it is pumped into the sea, and the salt in the water neutralises it, meaning as long as it is treated correctly at the sewage plant, it does not pollute – there is no need to worry that you're swimming in a giant toilet when you go for a dip off the coast.

“Sodium chloride filters have been shown to be highly effective in deactivating the influenza virus, independently of their subtypes and their capacity to be stored in adverse environmental conditions,” says the report.

“This could probably be extrapolated to a wide spectrum of pathogens in the air that cause epidemics and pandemics of respiratory diseases.”

Sea breeze

Given that the SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the human body via others' airborne fluids, scientists researched whether the spray caused by waves breaking and transported in the coastal breeze would be capable of transporting it to humans.

“Neither the World Health Organisation, nor the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA, nor the local health agencies in the USA or in other countries have warned that the virus could propagate itself via coastal or sea breeze,” the report assures.

So, there's no apparent danger of 'breathing it in' just by sitting on the beach.

Beach sand

In theory, sand on beaches could indeed be contaminated by the virus, either through contact with infected bathers, or by waste water.

The CSIC says the transporting of the virus via waste water is 'fairly limited', although it could be deposited on sand through droplets from infected bathers coughing or sneezing, or even through other bodily secretions such as urine, faeces or spit.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

EXCEPTIONALLY-CLEAR and very close-up footage of a brown bear has been taken in Galicia – the first time the species has been sighted there in 150 years.

Producer Felipe Lage from Zeitun Films had set up cameras in the Ourensán Central Massif to get location shots for the forthcoming movie Montaña ou Morte ('Mountain or Death'), directed by Pela del Álamo, so as to limit his physical presence on scene during lockdown.

The cameras caught 'repeated' shots of the same brown bear in various parts of the Os Montes do Invernadeiro National Park in the province of Ourense.

It was hoped they would pick up footage of wildlife for the film – which is now at the development stage thanks to a grant from the Galicia culture industries agency AGADIC – and, in fact, Zeitun Films had sought guidance from regional government environmental experts to make sure they did.

But everyone involved was stunned to see the bear, who is thought to be the first of his species to set foot in the province in the last 150 years.

It is said to be a male, aged between three and five, likely to have originated from the western part of Ourense in the O Courel area, and will 'probably' settle down in the O Invernadeiro mountains where he is based now for the whole of the winter.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

HOW do you get your hands on up-market wine from a producer on the other side of the Atlantic, without leaving your house or reaching for your purse?

Ask an 82-year-old lady whose handwritten window message crossed to another continent and language, and was answered in the shape of full bottles.

Annette Muller, who lives in the State of Ontario, is also proof that age is no barrier to becoming a social media influencer.

Having not left her house, even to go shopping, since Canada went into lockdown at around the same time as most of the western world, Annette became one of millions who coped with her confinement by popping a cork, and by putting messages in her window.

And when she stood at the glass holding up an empty bottle and a huge poster reading, 'Need more wine' – to tell her daughter Kelly to do the honours – a photograph of her desperate communication went viral.

Such is the power of modern technology that it reached drinks merchants Lucas Laguens and Hugo Valero, from Zaragoza, who sell local wine online via their website enbotella.com.

In response to her plea, they sent her some bottles directly to her home.

Not only that, but Hugo and Lucas joined Annette and Kelly for a drink – via Zoom – and explained to them how their wines were made.

.

“How lovely! I can't believe it!” Annette reportedly said when the wine arrived.

“I had my doubts about whether they'd get here, but they did and I'm delighted.

“They're much better than the wine we get in Canada. It's like a sci-fi film!”

The two women enjoyed it so much that they have ordered some more.

“Annette is thrilled to have become an influencer for Spanish wines,” said Hugo.

He and Lucas have arranged with Annette and Kelly to 'meet up' for a meal – each cooking typical dishes from Canada and from Spain and eating them from their homes whilst online.

Lucas, an IT manager, and Hugo, an MBA student in International Management at the ICEX Institute, say it is 'not easy' sending wine to Canada, 'especially to Ontario'.

“For that reason, we want to thank my Logistics tutor Alejandro Molins, wine merchant José Carlos Llopart who acted as a middleman, and the export company Eurovintage,” says Hugo.

Read the full article at thinkSPAIN.com

RESTARTING Spain's usually successful and buoyant tourism industry is high on everyone's priority list, given its massive contribution to the national economy, and the fact that residents at home and abroad want to know whether their holidays will be affected – so authorities have started investigating ahead of summer to find out how soon normality can return, and what, if any, extra safety measures need to be taken.

Spain's National Research Council (CSIC) has been commissioned by the secretary of State for tourism and the Spanish Tourism Quality Institute (ICTE) to test sea and swimming pool water and sand to find out whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus can survive in them, and if so, for how long.

This is 'an issue about which there is hardly any evidence worldwide', says the ICTE, and yet full scientific knowledge of it is going to be essential before deciding whether Spain's sun, sea and sand tourism can go ahead.

For city-break and rural tourism, social distancing, masks and gloves, disinfecting and hand sanitiser dispensers are the country's main weapons against another Covid-19 outbreak, but it is not clear how the virus interacts with its environment in indoor and outdoor swimming pools or on beaches – such as whether it can be transmitted by a person touching or lying in the same patch of sand as a previous person who is a carrier.

If areas have to be disinfected before and after – difficult when it comes to sand and sea – the ICTE wants to know what effects doing so will have on the ecosystem.

Should evidence show the need for disinfecting, and that this will harm the natural environment, it could put beach visits in jeopardy this summer.

For the moment, the ICTE has urged local authorities not to take any action of this nature until it is able to release full reports and recommendations.

And until the data are complete, verified and available, the ICTE discourages coastal authorities or town councils from buying any equipment or making hefty investments in case the technical specifications for safety measures change at the last minute.

Procedures will be drawn up for 21 different tourism sub-sectors – although some of these have already been working on their own with a view to hitting the ground running once they are able to reopen.

Read more at thinkSPAIN.com

THREE of Spain's most densely-populated regions have gone a whole day without any new cases of Covid-19 for the first time since the middle of March – a sign that the lockdown may be working.

Coinciding with the first day of the country's entering 'unlocking phase 0', the 'preparatory' stage in the return to normality and the first of four staggered national reopenings, health authorities have revealed that the east coast regions of Valencia and Murcia, and also the Balearic Islands, have had no new contagions since yesterday.

And in Madrid, the region which was by far the worst-hit, only one new case has been diagnosed in the past 24 hours, showing the virus may finally have been contained.

Contagions and death rates have slowed down significantly in the last week, despite an increase in testing and a thorough review of figures in light of discrepancies – to date, 25,428 people have died out of the 218,011 diagnosed, with 121,343 having been cured or, if they were asymptomatic and did not actually fall ill despite testing positive, have been confirmed virus-free.

The mortality rate in Spain from Covid-19 continues to be at around 11.7% of those diagnosed, whilst the cure rate to date is 55.7%.

Earlier this week, the UK's death toll was reported as having exceeded 26,000, making it the third-highest on earth after the USA and Italy, and pushing Spain down to fourth, with the British mortality rate from Covid-19 being in region of 16%.

Also in the last 24 hours, several town halls have been delivering free masks – normally one disposable and one reusable – to every resident's mailbox, even if they are not in the high-risk group which includes key workers in close contact with the public, the over-60s, and those with pre-existing health conditions.

“I'd like to not call for too much euphoria,” comments Fernando Simón, head of Spain's Health Emergencies and Alerts Coordination Centre – which has been very much in the foreground during the pandemic.

“The data from today, albeit very good, may not be quite as accurate as on other days since there will have been some delay in reporting figures over the weekend.

“We would expect that viral transmission within the community will have decreased by around 25%.”

Only two regions have reported incidences of Covid-19 exceeding 100 per 100,000 inhabitants (one per 1,000, or 0.1% of the total population) – Catalunya, the second-hardest hit by the pandemic after Madrid, and the centre-northern region of Castilla y León.

Currently, the average for Spain as a whole for new contagions has dropped to 51 per 100,000 (0.051% of the population), despite having been, in recent weeks and in certain health departments, as high as 1% of the entire headcount.

In addition to the three main Mediterranean regions of Valencia, Murcia and the Balearics, another 11 have reported fewer than 10 new cases in the last 24 hours.

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AS YOU'LL almost certainly realise if you've been in Spain for more than 12 months, it's nearly impossible to find your favourite fruit and veg all year round – they appear by the boxload in supermarkets and on market stalls, then suddenly vanish for months on end. This is largely because Spain grows practically all its own greengrocery – very little is imported – so anything you find on sale, especially if it's in huge amounts, is freshly-harvested nationally or even locally, and very much in season.

Once you've got over the disappointment of not finding strawberries in November or oranges in August, you'll find your shopping basket adapting according to the harvest – and experts assure that the nutritional benefits of eating in-season fruit and vegetables are worth it.

Also, it's good for the planet and the local economy. When produce travels less distance to get to the shops or markets, less fuel is consumed and emissions are reduced, and farmers do not have to compete with other producers half a world away who can undercut them on price and still make a profit.

Plus, the quicker the produce gets to the shelves, the less time it has to lose quality or vitamin content.

“It's always better to choose in-season fruit and vegetables, since these are allowed to grow to their natural size within a natural length of time, and retain all their properties,” says one of Spain's leading consumer organisations, the OCU, which has produced a calendar of the various crops you can find in season at any given time of the year.

The Spanish Nutrition Federation (FEN), along with the ministry of agriculture, has drawn up a list of the beneficial elements found in produce in season to help you figure out how you're improving and maintaining your health and wellbeing by digging into what you find on sale from month to month.

And this month, May, is when some of our favourites start to ripen and fill the shelves – here's an overview of what you'll be seeing about now, or will be soon, when you go shopping.

Apricots

Spain is one of the main producers, and the best time for harvesting and consuming is between May and September. Compared with other fruit, apricots have a much lower energy content due to being largely water-based with limited carbohydrates, but they are rich in betacarotene, a powerful anti-oxidant, which transforms into vitamin A when the body needs it.

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Apricots are also high in potassium, which helps enhance muscle strength, metabolism, the nervous system, and prevents electrolyte loss – the essential elements lost through sweating – and water retention, as well as being necessary to reduce the risk of stroke, heart and kidney disorders, high blood pressure, anxiety and stress.

Additionally, apricots are high in vitamin C, which boosts the immune system, and in flavonoids, which are said to help guard against cancer, cardiovascular disorders and asthma.

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ESTATE agents in Spain can start viewings again from May 11 – and some have already started making appointments.

In the meantime, they will be able to reopen their offices to the public from this coming Monday, May 4, subject to prior appointment.

The country's 120,000-plus estate agencies have been in contact with clients by telephone and via the Internet only for the last two months, and will now, finally, be able to start showing potential buyers around properties for sale, in person.

From May 11, estate agency staff will be permitted to make visits, take photographs, and liaise with sellers, but will initially be restricted to the province where they are based.

Rules apply, including maintaining social distancing – at least a metre – and with all staff and customers to be equipped with 'anti-pandemic kits': gloves, masks, hand sanitiser, and disposable gauze 'socks' over their shoes, such as those used by intensive care visitors or given out at airport security for those taking their footwear off.

According to the ministry of transport, mobility and urban agenda, 'provided the required precautions are taken, visits to offices and buildings can be arranged', but that individual sellers or renters cannot do so as yet – only estate agencies.

The National Federation of Estate Agencies (FAI) says it expects the industry's return to business as usual will be 'gradual' and take around a week, in line with similar dates proposed for the reopening of high-street trade in general.

Small shops can reopen on May 11, which includes estate agencies, but shopping centres and very large premises cannot do so until May 26 – likewise estate agencies that fall into the 'large premises' category, as yet to be properly defined – since major retail complexes and other, similar-sized businesses carry a greater risk of big crowds building up.

Finer details remain up in the air at the moment, but industry leaders have been pressuring the government to provide flexibility by location – as an example, the proposed restriction of only viewing properties within the same province as the buyer's current residence, or the estate agency office, could mean that in popular tourism hotspots on the coast, a person based close to a province border may be able to view a potential home 150 kilometres away but not one five kilometres away, points out Eva González-Nebreda, spokeswoman for the FIABCI international estate agency federation.

A sensible initial solution could be allowing travel within the same province, or to adjacent districts or comarcas for those based close to the edge.

Many member establishments have already been bulk-buying 'anti-pandemic kits' in anticipation of being able to restart normal trade before summer.

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MORE details have been released about rules governing Spanish residents' permission to go out for walks or other exercise, with restrictions in place to prevent crowds.

Health minister Salvador Illa says everyone needs to comply to the letter, since breaking regulations could lead to another spike in Covid-19 cases and undo all the hard work everyone has done since Spain entered into lockdown on March 16.

Outings are permitted between 06.00 and 10.00 and from 20.00 to 23.00, and children under 14 now have a new timetable – from noon to 19.00.

Residents can be accompanied by just one other person, provided it is someone they live with.

For walks, the maximum distance is one kilometre from home, or for other sports such as running or cycling, anywhere within the person's town, village or city.

Dependent persons – elderly, ill or disabled – and anyone over the age of 70 can go out accompanied by pone other person from 10.00 to noon and from 19.00 to 20.00.

The aim is for those in the higher risk brackets due to age – the immune system is less resilient in those aged over approximately 60 to 70, or younger if they already have age-related health problems such as cardiovascular problems – not to come into contact with younger persons who may have been infected with Covid-19 but are either asymptomatic or have such mild symptoms that they have not realised.

Also, keeping children away from the elderly, middle-aged and younger adults is crucial because of the greater risk of kids passing on contagious conditions to others – and the fact that, when the children are outside, there are generally more of them as they will be with their siblings and one parent.

The 'one adult only' rule still applies to taking children out for walks, as does the limit of three children per parent, grandparent, guardian, nanny, or whoever lives with them – the 'two adults only' for walks, runs or bike rides with members of the same household must be without children.

For the purposes of these scheduled outings, 'young adults' are considered to be anyone aged 14 to 69 inclusive, meaning one parent can go for a walk with a child aged 14 or 15 before 10.00 or between 20.00 and 23.00, provided said child lives with them.

Villages with fewer than 5,000 people do not have specific daily time slots they are required to stick to – they can go out once a day at any time between 06.00 and 23.00.

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