ARCHIVED - Spanish government refuses to apply new nationwide pandemic measures

Regional governments begin to adopt their own strategies to combat the fifth wave of Covid infection

At the latest meeting of Spain’s Inter-territorial Public Health Committee on Wednesday the government made it clear that despite the alarming recent increase in Covid case numbers it has no intention of re-introducing nationwide measures designed to stem the surge in the pandemic.

Various of the regional governments, including that of Murcia, have been calling for a nationwide approach to the latest surge in case numbers, which has coincided with the spread of the Delta variant, the wearing of facemasks outdoors becoming optional rather than obligatory and the start of the peak summer season. But the Ministry of Health is adamant that no national restrictions on nightlife or curfew regulations are required, despite the recommendations of its own epidemiological experts, and that the regional administrations have adequate powers to decide upon measures within their own territories.

The option preferred by the national government is to press on with the immunization campaign – almost 20 million people in Spain are now fully vaccinated – and to extend it as soon as possible to younger age groups. “The vaccines are the best weapon we have”, affirmed Health Minister Carolina Darias, underlining the government’s refusal to decree a new national state of emergency.

But the pressure from regional governments to re-introduce some restrictions continues to grow, and already some have taken matters into their own hands. In Catalunya and the Basque Country the governments are strongly recommending the continued use of facemasks and have made appointments available for vaccines to all of those aged over 16, Catalunya has also enforced the closure of indoor nightlife venues for at least the next fortnight, and in other northern regions such as Galicia, Cantabria, Aragón and Navarra different restrictions are being put in place.

In the Balearics restrictions on bars and restaurants have been re-introduced in leading tourist resorts such as Magaluf, and in Extremadura perimetral closure is applied to various municipalities with particularly high incidence rates.

With the Spanish government intent on achieving “herd immunity” rather than curbing the fifth wave of contagion, it now seems likely that other regions will also adapt in their own ways to the situation, and the forecast made by the minister for Health in the Murcia government that there will be 17 different situations in the 17 regions of the country is beginning to become a reality.