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Selfie-seekers ignore social distancing rules at Catalonia’s highest peak

Park authorities are considering limiting numbers to one of Catalonia's most breathtaking beauty spots after selfie-seeking crowds formed at the region's highest peak.

Published: 17 September 2020 11:23 CEST
Selfie-seekers ignore social distancing rules at Catalonia's highest peak
Queues at the peak of Catalonia's highest mountain. Photo: @pnaltpirineu

Crowds swarmed the Alt Pirineu Natural Park over the weekend, and massive lines of people waiting to take selfies at the summit of the Pica d’Estats – the highest mountain in Catalonia – sparked outrage online.

On Sunday, the Alt Pirineu Natural Park’s official Twitter account posted a video of a long line of people waiting to take photos at the Pica d’Estats, which at 3,143 metres over sea level is the highest mountain in Catalonia: 

 

The Tweet criticized the park’s overcrowding, saying it was damaging the natural landscape, and called for more regulation.

In the video, a line of people who were not wearing masks and were not respecting social distancing rules can be seen waiting for their chance to take a photo with the cross that marks the mountain’s summit. 

The account also posted pictures of camper vans parked lining the road in nearby Sant Joan de l'Erm and of visitors swimming in Alpine lakes, which is forbidden because sunscreen and insect repellent are toxic to the amphibians that live in them, according to park authorities: 

Friday was Diada, the National Day of Catalonia, and many Catalans took advantage of the three-day weekend to leave the cities and enjoy the region’s natural landscapes. 

But park authorities say that the crowds over the holiday have led them to work to establish a system to regulate access to the area going forward. 

By Sam Harrison in Barcelona
 
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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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