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ARCHIVED - Spain avoids Christmas restrictions but new measures will be discussed
Pedro Sanchez has called a meeting to explore ‘shared measures’ to control the spread of Covid in Spain
Just days away from Christmas, the autonomous communities in Spain are standing firm in their decision not to impose restrictions despite the worrying rise in infections and the emergence of the omicron variant.
However, the president of the government, Pedro Sanchez, has called a remote meeting with all of the regional leaders for Wednesday December 22 “to review the situation of the pandemic and evaluate new measures that we can implement in the coming weeks”.
As he announced the meeting on Sunday, Mr Sanchez highlighted the fact that the 14-day cumulative incidence rate in Spain has spiralled to 511 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and while this figure is lower than in many neighbouring countries, he believes the time has come to “intensify” measures in a coordinated manner throughout the autonomous communities.
"The virus is still with us and its fight must continue to be a priority for all public administrations", Sánchez remarked.
While infections are on the increase in Spain and the experts believe that the more transmissible omicron variant will be the dominant coronavirus strain by mid-January, President Sanchez firmly believes that vaccination is the best tool at our disposal: this time last year, before the vaccine campaign began, hospital and ICU numbers were far more grave, and to date, just shy of 90% of the population over the age of 12 is double jabbed.
Mr Sanchez has also praised the “formidable response” of communities in vaccinating children aged between 5 and 11, as in just three days almost 5% of this population has received their first dose.
While the president has hinted at “shared measures” that he wishes to discuss with the regional leaders, the specifics haven’t been revealed, and for now, at least, the autonomous communities are in agreement that family gatherings and hospitality opening hours shouldn’t be limited in the run-up to Christmas.
However, the Public Health Commission will this week address the proposal put forward in the Alerts and Preparedness and Response Plan, which recommends that in high risk areas, antigen tests should be required prior to parties and that the number of people allowed at one table be reduced.
There are currently 10 communities at the highest risk level, including Valencia and the Region of Murcia.
Image: Archive
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