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MAP: Which phase is my province in and what activities are allowed?

Spain's government have announced which provinces will advance to the next phase on Monday.

Published: 15 May 2020 20:22 CEST
MAP: Which phase is my province in and what activities are allowed?
The areas in a lighter colour have advanced to Phase 1 while those in the darker shade remain in Phase 0.

Madrid and Barcelona will remain in Phase Zero of the national plan that sees the gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions across Spain while some of the islands will advance to Phase 2.

The whole of the Valencia region and the whole of the Andalusia region will advance to Phase 1 of the plan on Monday May 18 while parts of Castilla y Leon will remain in Phase 0.

The status of each and every province across Spain from Monday is marked in an interactive map produced by Spain’s government.

The islands of La Gomera, El Hierro and La Graciosa in the Canary Islands and the island of Formentera in the Balearic Islands will all advance to Phase 2 of the plan. Two weeks ago, these provinces were the first to adopt Phase 1.

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Under Phase 2 larger gatherings – from ten to 15 people – are allowed to take place and large commercial premises are allowed to open to shoppers, although social distancing and hygiene measures must still be maintained.

Madrid’s petition to move forward into Phase 1 was rejected by health authorities who insist that the outbreak has still not met the requirements to allow it loosen restrictions further.

“The evolution of the pandemic is very favourable, but the Madrid region started out with many more cases than other regions,” insisted Fernando Simón, head of the Coordination Center for Health Emergencies announcing the new developments in a televised news conference on Friday evening.

“But even then, it is still the region with the most daily registered cases, together with Catalonia. The Madrid region must remain for another week in Phase 0, out of prudence,” he said

However, in a compromise move both Madrid and Barcelona will see some restrictions loosened in what has been dubbed Phase 0.5 that will see small businesses able to open without the need for prior appointments.

But the terraces of restaurants and bars will remain closed in the two cities and meetings between friends and family must wait at least another week.

It means that 70 percent of Spain has now advanced beyond the preparatory stage while 14 million remain in Phase Zero.

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COVID-19

Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

Sweden's Public Health Agency is recommending that those above the age of 80 should receive two doses of a Covid-19 vaccine a year, once in the spring and once in the autumn, as it shifts towards a longer-term strategy for the virus.

Published: 23 December 2022 10:53 CET
Public Health Agency recommends two Covid doses next year for elderly

In a new recommendation, the agency said that those living in elderly care centres, and those above the age of 80 should from March 1st receive two vaccinations a year, with a six month gap between doses. 

“Elderly people develop a somewhat worse immune defence after vaccination and immunity wanes faster than among young and healthy people,” the agency said. “That means that elderly people have a greater need of booster doses than younger ones. The Swedish Public Health Agency considers, based on the current knowledge, that it will be important even going into the future to have booster doses for the elderly and people in risk groups.” 

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People between the ages of 65 and 79 years old and young people with risk factors, such as obesity, diabetes, poor kidney function or high blood pressure, are recommended to take one additional dose per year.

The new vaccination recommendation, which will start to apply from March 1st next year, is only for 2023, Johanna Rubin, the investigator in the agency’s vaccination programme unit, explained. 

She said too much was still unclear about how long protection from vaccination lasted to institute a permanent programme.

“This recommendation applies to 2023. There is not really an abundance of data on how long protection lasts after a booster dose, of course, but this is what we can say for now,” she told the TT newswire. 

It was likely, however, that elderly people would end up being given an annual dose to protect them from any new variants, as has long been the case with influenza.

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