glboisvert

1. Now that they've canceled Las Fallas, I'm guessing it's not looking good that Semana Santa in Sevilla is going to go forward?

2. What are the chances that the situation is better enough by the end of May that it would be OK to travel to Spain? The airline will let me delay my trip as late as 31 May free of charge, but I'd have to pay the cost difference if I delay the trip beyond then.

LapLap

Wednesday 11th March
El Salvador has banned travellers from Spain
https://elpais.com/Comentario/158390...857262c?gla=es

Chile will require those who have come from Spain to undergo quarantine
Chile - https://elpais.com/Comentario/158390...be96c3c?gla=es

Hong Kong has stipulated that those who have been in Madrid, La Rioja and the Basque Country require quarantine
https://elpais.com/Comentario/158390...f6808d5?gla=es

A full list is being maintained here:
https://elpais.com/elpais/2020/03/11...05_767374.html

This opinion piece from El Pais was published after midnight yesterday
https://elpais.com/sociedad/2020-03-...-se-acaba.html

It explains how the paper sees Spain’s current situation and where it is heading, and the kinds of changes that will be required by Spaniards.
First is an explanation that the initial “containment” phase is no longer viable, that the only reasonable path forward is to accept that the spread of Covid-19 cannot be stopped and that measures have to be taken to delay and slow progress so that the Health Service is not overwhelmed by cases it will not be able to respond to*. This is going to have a HUGE economic and social impact on the country and behaviour and habits will need to change or be adapted. A warning is given that the current problems in Italy are exactly what Spain can expect for itself within 9 days. The piece concludes with the example of how kissing your friend on the cheek could mean a death sentence for your friend’s elderly mother - and the tone where this advice is given is measured, this is not meant to be alarmist, but pragmatic.

* my personal comment here for those looking to visit in late April and into May: The “Delay” phase that the whole of Spain has now officially entered into is being implemented to purposefully EXTEND the spread of Covid-19 so that infections continue for a longer period than would occur if society just continued as “normal”. This is so that the amount of cases accumulate at a lower rate (or on a flatter curve) and allow Health Services to treat those affected in need of treatment. In other words, Spain purposefully wants the current situation to continue right into April/May and is introducing measures to promote and even induce this outcome.
This link from New Zealand illustrates the aim PERFECTLY - https://thespinoff.co.nz/wp-content/...2h8yOuGAdO6T4M




——
This fascinating article published yesterday explores the situation from the point of view of those in the Spanish Chinese Community. Quite a few Chinese Spaniards have left Spain to spend time with family in China because they consider the problems to be more under control there. Knowing full well the measures being taken within China and the effectiveness of those measures, many of those living in Spain are quite appalled with the actions (or rather lack of them) being implemented in Spain.
They seem hyper aware of what is happening and what is effective at controlling or stopping it, they are certainly a community worth listening to. Two other points I’m going to mention are; 1 - Spanish Chinese are far more likely to wear masks than other Spaniards (some have displayed explanations in their shops that it is to protect their clients and help prevent onward transmission) & 2 - even though the Chinese community is the 4th largest foreign community in Spain (there are well over 200,000), there has so far been no documented examples of anybody within this community having been infected.
https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/202...o.html?rel=lom

12:46 (CET)
Fernando Simón Fernando (Director of the Centre for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies of the Ministry of Health) explains once a special measures directive is passed, there needs to be a period of 14 days in which those measures are applied. Only after that time will the situation be reviewed. In the best case scenario; the epidemic could be under control in a month or two. In the worst case, it will take three or four months.
https://elpais.com/Comentario/158392...89bbff3?gla=es

The current tally of confirmed cases throughout Spain is 2,002 and 47 deaths

Madrid has registered 1,024 cases and 31 deaths.
(Murcia, which only a few days ago had no cases, now has 17)

Angela Merkel’s and the German Health Ministry’s position has been reported. They are also implementing delay protocols and their expectation is that 60%-70% of the population will become infected. Berlin does not believe that closing off frontiers is an effective measure.
https://elpais.com/Comentario/158392...dd7569c?gla=es

2pm (CET)
Parents from villages, towns and cities around Spain are asking their children at University Campuses within the Madrid area to return home before they are prevented from doing so should a lock down be implemented.
Hundreds have already left Madrid.
https://elpais.com/espana/madrid/202...rovincias.html

Spaniards who were in Italy have had their return flights cancelled and cannot get explanations or assistance. Appeals to the Spanish Embassy/Consulates have been fruitless as they have not been able to get responses from there either.
Nobody yet knows how many Spaniards have been affected.
https://elpais.com/sociedad/2020-03-...lica-nada.html

Catalonia has announced that, for the next 15 days at least, no event or gathering involving more than 1,000 people will be allowed.
Also, within the Catalonia region, about 400 Health Staff have been removed from the front lines in order to undergo quarantine.
https://elpais.com/espana/catalunya/...ronavirus.html

Last update
https://elpais.com/Comentario/158396...70b5b9c?gla=es
Although none of the 22 recorded cases in Murcia are locally transmitted and all are mild, Murcia is putting into place preventative measures, including no gatherings of more than 50 people. Any school where there is a recorded case will be closed for two weeks. The exams that were expected to be taken next month will be postponed later in the year.

LapLap

No. If Galicia are contemplating postponing their elections for the 5th April, Seville will be scrutinising their own plans for mass gatherings. I don’t think they will happen.

You have been given the ultimate gift, which is a preview of the weather in May this week in Southern Spain.
IF the weather is going to have an impact and slow down the spread of Covid-19 significantly, we may see some signs of that in the coming week.
Otherwise, look at Italy. It is proving to be a reliable indicator of where Spain (and France and The Netherlands and the U.K.) is heading.

Remember also that certain hospitals are already straining at the seams in Spain, that situation is going to get worse and more wide spread. And the problems within the hospitals will continue for weeks, if not months, even after the spread of Covid-19 slows down. You’ll need to think what would happen if there was a medical emergency (which could be completely unrelated to Civil-19) when you were in Spain - it’s not a problem that could be solved by money or insurance.

EDIT TO ADD - please see also my comments in the previous post about Spain implementing measures to extend the situation into April/May.

LapLap

If you are in Spain and enjoying the heatwave at a beach, remember under no circumstances to take any food or drinks from hawkers.

This old article (in English) explains why (note that the problem is not limited to Barcelona)

Barcelona struggles to halt illegal sales of beach snacks containing fecal matter

kokonutz

Thanks for calling this thread to my attention, Laplap.

My son in Barcelona says everything seems normal but there is lots of talk about closing the borders.

We are scheduled to fly to Valencia on the 23rd and for the first time are starting to question our travel plans....

LapLap

Apart from certain hospitals within Catalonia having huge numbers of health workers removed from action as they go through testing and quarantine, the area is still relatively unaffected. But this is temporary. The situation is evolving horrendously quickly and any cracks are going to turn into huge chasms imminently, not to mention the brand new rents and tears that are starting to happen now.

I asked permission from @dodo to repost these two twitter feed links here. Granted, they are not about Spain, but they do describe (in English) what is already reported to have started happening in hospitals in Madrid and the Basque Country.
So am posting them, and urging anyone who can read them to read them, rather than just wait for the Spanish equivalents to emerge in the next few days.

kokonutz

My son's study abroad in Barcelona has been closed. Everyone is expected to be out of the country by Monday.

LapLap

The shutters are coming down.

Am sorry it has affected you and your family in such an immediate way.

kokonutz

Thanks. And now we wait and see if the heat wave knocks it down before deciding what to do on the 23rd. My son says it was HOT in Barca today....

LapLap

At least you’ll have more time together - and it’s time you can enjoy, you’re all (more or less) the picture of health.

(And it’s “Barna” if you want to shorten Barcelona - Barça is just the football cub, never anything else. Now you can blend in proper like!)

The_Bouncer

I am seriously beginning to wonder if I should just get out of Spain now. I only have two days of my language course left and very little to do for the next three weeks or so. South Africa is looking attractive.

kokonutz

Luckily I was able to grab an AA award ticket to get my son back to the US on a flight Thursday morning from study abroad in Barcelona before the lock.

I would get out before you are forced to quarantine at your next destination.

LapLap

Wondered what you meant by lock. Just seen the news about Trump not allowing travel into the USA from Europe (with the current, bewildering/not-bewildering exception of the U.K.) that comes into force on Friday.

The_Bouncer

Now that my planned trip to Israel has bitten the dust, my intended next destination was my home country of Austria (where I am resident, but not a citizen). With Sebastian Kurz mouthing off about lockdowns, I'm not sure that is a good idea.

Many will disagree with my strategy, but I am trying to stay one step ahead of the lockdowns.

ubiest

let’s not spread in exact information, the only people banned are non-US citizens who are not US residents who have been in a Schengen state in the last 14 days. Ireland, Romania, Croatia, Turkey, etc not covered by the ban in addition to the UK