ARCHIVED - Controversy over Covid design on new Andorra 2-euro coin
The government of Andorra highlights its commitment to the elderly with the newly-minted coin
The principality of Andorra, which lies in the Pyrenees between Spain and France and is home to under 80,000 people, has caused quite a stir on social media sites with the design of a newly-minted 2-euro coin due to the references it includes to the Covid pandemic.
On one side of the coin is a design to commemorate the centenary of the unveiling of the statue of Our Lady of Meritxell, a 12th-century apparition of the Virgin Mary who is highly revered in Andorra and even features in the principality’s anthem. On one of the two versions of the coin to have been minted, though, is the image of two hands along with a depiction of the virus, justified by the government on the grounds that “we wish to commemorate the elderly in the light of the Covid-19 crisis and its impact on this group, both in terms of the effect on their health and on the social isolation they have suffered”.
70,000 of the coins have been placed in circulation, bearing the phrase “we look after our old people”, and to judge by the responses on social media sites the design is meeting a mixed reception!
Image: Govern d’Andorra (Twitter)