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UPDATED MAP: These are the regions of Spain with closed borders

Most of Spain has imposed restrictions on movement to prevent people moving around over the All Saint's bank holiday weekend when traditionally Spaniards return to their villages to visit the graves of their loved ones.

Published: 29 October 2020 10:57 CET
Updated: 30 October 2020 16:57 CET
UPDATED MAP: These are the regions of Spain with closed borders
Most of Spain now has restricted movement.

But different measures are in place depending on the region of Spain with several regional governments yet to announce what confinement measures they will take ahead the long weekend.

The Madrid region, which has 32 healthcare zones under perimeter lockdown, has permission from the central government to impose a perimeter confinement of the region only for the duration of the puente weekend, while Catalonia has shut regional borders and introduced perimeter lockdown around municpalies over the puente to prevent people moving around within the northeastern region itself. 

Valencia on Friday closed its regional border ahead of the weekend, a measure that will last one week.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: What are the restrictions in place in each of Spain's regions right now?

The Basque Country is entirely closed with people told to stay within their own municpalities while in Galicia only some municpalities are confined to city limits while the rest of people within the region can move about freely. 

There are perimeter confinements now in place around Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña, Arteixo, Pontevedra, Vigo, Lugo, Poio, Marín, Ames, Teo and Vimianza as well as around Ourense, Barbadàs, O Carballiño, O Irixo Boborás, Verín, Oímbra and Vilardevós.

Andalusia will close borders of the entire region to prevent people visiting and also has confined those within Sevilla, Jaen and Granada from coming and going.

Cantabria took the decision to impose a perimeter confinement  of the region on Thursday.

In the Balearic Islands, only those within the urban centre of Manacor have restrictions in place.

Extremadura has left its regional borders open but placed perimeter confinements around the municpalities of Cilleros, Hoyos, Perales del Puerto, Cabezuela del Valle, Jerte, Tornavacas, Jarandilla de la Vera, Talaveruela de la Vera, Valverde de la Vera, Villanueva de la Vera, Madrigal de la Vera, Hervás, Alcuéscar and Arroyomolinos in Cáceres province and La Roca de la Sierra, Almendralejo, Usagre and Villanueva del Fresno in in Badajoz province.

Only the region of the Canary Islands have no perimeter confinements in place. 

Check the restrictions by hovering over the regions in the map below: 

 

 

 
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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. 

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