Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

MAP

UPDATED MAP: Where in Spain are restrictions in place and what are they?

There are currently perimeter lockdowns in place across parts of Spain as well as a nationwide curfew and limits on the number of people allowed to meet in a group.

Published: 23 October 2020 18:13 CEST
Updated: 26 October 2020 11:13 CET
UPDATED MAP: Where in Spain are restrictions in place and what are they?
Map by RTVE

UPDATE: The whole of Spain, except the Canary Islands, now has a curfew imposed that limits movement outside the home between 11pm and 6am (although it can shift an hour either way depending on the region) since a new state of alarm was declared on Sunday.

READ MORE: What are the rules under Spain's new state of alarm?

In total some 2,470  municipalities across the nation have measures imposed to restrict movement beyond the curfew as the true number of cases in Spain is thought to have reached over 3 million.

Perimeter confinements

The entire regions of Navarra and La Rioja as well as 76 municipalities across Spain have perimeter confinements restricting the movements of 6.9 million people, some 14.7 percent of the Spanish population.

A total of 13 provinces have perimeter confinements imposed within them as the criteria in those municipalities meets conditions set by Spain’s Health Ministry.

A municipality is confined if it has over 100,00 population and has reported more than 500 cases per 100,000 inhabitants over the previous 14 days; it must have 35 percent or more intensive care beds occupied by Covid-19 patients, and positive results in at least 10 percent of PCR tests.   

The region of Navarra imposed a perimeter lockdown at its borders from Thursday October 22nd while Rioja introduces the measure from Friday October 23rd.

In Castilla y Leon perimeter confinements are in place in the cities of Ponferrada, Aranda de Duero, Burgos, Salamanca, León, Palencia, Miranda de Ebro, San Andrés del Rabanedo, San Pedro Latarce, Pedrajas de San and Esteban. This weekend Íscar and Medina del Campo see their confinement limited but other restrictions are still in place for another week.

The cities of Zaragoza, Huesca and Teruel, the three provincial capitals in Aragon, all have perimeter confinements in force.

The city of Madrid and nine other municipalities around it currently has a perimeter confinement but that will be lifted on Saturday October 24 when the State of Emergency declared by Spain’s government over the region expires. On Monday new restrictions will be put in place in 32 healthcare zones that include perimeter confinement

In Andalusia, the town of Écija has a perimeter confinement as does Villanueva de la Vera and Hoyos in Caceres province of Extremadura and Almendraleja and Villanueva del Fresno in Badajoz province.

While in Galicia, such measures have also been imposed on Verín, Oímbra and Vilardevós, as well as Ourense capital, Barbadás,  O Carballiño, O Irixo and Boborás. 

To check the restrictions in place in each municpality, RTVE have produced this interactive map.

Map: RTVE

Return to the “de-escalation phases”

Remember the 'de-escalation phases' applied to different parts of Spain on a step-by-step basis as the nation came out of lockdown back in May and June?

The rules for Phase 1 and Phase 2, which limits occupancy in bars and restaurants as well as social group sizes are now in place across much of the country.

Well, some 97 municipal areas have dropped down a phase (the majority in Asturias) and another 1,882 are subject to different types of restrictions affecting 24 million residents, almost half of the population.

Here’s a reminder of the rules for Phase 1 and Phase 2.

Limits on social groups

The state of alarm limits social meetings to a maximum of six people both in private places and public spaces, unless they live together under the same roof across Spain except the Canary Islands. But the regional governments have the authority to lower the maximum number allowed in a social gathering. Galicia has already set a limit of five.

Other restrictions

Last week Catalonia imposed a region-wide ban on restaurants and bars opening except for take-away food. And Melilla took the same measure on Friday.

READ MORE: 

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

HEALTH

Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Cases of viral respiratory infections such as flu, Covid and bronchitis have shot up over the past few weeks in Spain, putting an enormous strain on hospitals across the country and causing a severe lack of beds.

Published: 4 January 2024 12:33 CET
Respiratory infections soar in Spain over Christmas as hospitals struggle

Winter colds and flu are common, but this year Spain has seen a spike in cases of three different viruses – flu, Covid and bronchitis at the same time.

This comes after the festive and New Year period with lots of family gatherings and meetings with friends without much thought for social distancing days of the pandemic.

Rise in cases

According to health services, there are 35 percent more cases of these infections than a year ago, a percentage that is expected to continue rising until the third week of January when the epidemic peak will be reached after more gatherings for Three Kings’ Day on January 5th and 6th.

In a period of seven days, the rates of flu have gone from 532 to 908 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. The cases of Covid have also grown from 12.6 percent to 13.6 percent.

The Health Minister, Monica García has published a message on social media reminding the public of the importance of getting vaccinated and maintaining prevention measures, such as ventilating rooms, washing hands and wearing a mask.

The head of the Emergency Department at the Reina Sofía University Hospital in Murcia, explained that the profile of these patients ranges “from young people with flu pathologies who go to the emergency room because health centres have delayed their appointments and people over 80 years old with pneumonia due to the flu who end up being admitted”.

Lack of hospital beds

According to the first vice president of the Spanish Society of Emergency Medicine (SEMES), Pascual Piñera, 10 of patients with these infections end up admitted to hospital overnight and one of the biggest problems staff are facing is the severe lack of beds, “They have nowhere to put the sick”, he explained.

The situation is the same all over the country. Red Workers union of the La Paz University Hospital in Madrid has reported that there are 105 patients pending admission and beds in the hallways are in double rows, “which cannot be evacuated if the patient worsens or there is a fire”.

Delays in primary health care 

Acute respiratory infections not only put a strain on hospitals and emergency rooms, but also primary care centres, causing delays and long waiting times for appointments. 

The spokesperson for the Federation of Associations for the Defence of Public Health (FADSP), Marciano Sánchez Bayle, explains that it is generating a “major traffic jam” in the healthcare system “where appointments are made for very late dates”.

Sánchez Bayle cites the case of the Community of Madrid, where he knows that appointments requested in December were not given until the end of January “which further clogs an already saturated system”. 

The need for greater vaccination rates 

Besides the festive period, many health professionals believe that the situation could be improved if more people were getting vaccinated, specifically against the flu. 

Flu vaccination in Spain is far below the WHO recommendations, hovering around 50 percent of the population at risk, when the goal is 75 percent. And the percentage is even lower in the case of children under five.

According to the Ministry of Health, the objectives for vaccination against flu and Covid-19 for the 2023-2024 season are to achieve or exceed vaccination coverage of 75 percent in older people and health workers, as well as 60 percent for pregnant women and people with at-risk conditions.

Amós García Rojas from Spain’s Vaccinology Association believes that after a few years without flu during the Covid pandemic, society has relaxed.

The vaccination campaign has not yet ended, so there’s still time to get yours before the end of the season. The campaign began on October 15th and ends on January 31st. 

SHOW COMMENTS