ARCHIVED - Ban on switching telecommunications suppliers in Spain during the coronavirus emergency

The move is designed to protect customers and telecoms installation workers during the crisis

As more and more measures are announced by the Spanish government this week in response to the fact that the duration of the national state of emergency will last well beyond the initial two-week period, one of those which is likely to affect many people is that a temporary ban has been imposed on switching from one telephone services company to another.

The intention of prohibiting changes of telecommunications suppliers for at least a month is to protect the phone company staff who have to visit people’s homes to complete the switch from potentially being exposed to the Covid-19 virus, and indeed to reinforce the isolation of clients from possible sources of contagion. In addition, although it may only last for a few hours a switch of provider often entails being completely offline and incommunicado for a time, a situation which the government is keen to avoid during the current emergency.

With the number of people working from home in Spain having suddenly increased dramatically since the weekend phone and people relying more and more on online communication due to the impossibility of holding social get-togethers, telecommunications companies are reporting a sizeable increase in the use of their networks. However, at the same time the number of new devices being sold has plummeted over the last week and seems likely to fall further in the immediate future.

Very few requests have been made to change supplier as people who have become even more dependent on unbroken connections fight shy of any changes which could lead to hitches in the short term, and now any requests which are made will not be dealt with at all until after the emergency passes.

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What to do if you are in the Region of Murcia and believe you may have contracted the virus

The regional government has set up a special helpline to supply information to members of the public (900 121212), and also urges people to call the 112 emergency services line if they suspect that they may have contracted the virus rather than going straight to hospital or to a medical centre. Medical staff will be sent to your home to test for the virus.

The Region’s public hospitals have limited the number of visitors to just one per patient.

Sensible precautions

The advice being issued to members of the public by medical authorities all over the world coincides on the following points:

- Wash hands frequently with either soap and water or a sanitiser gel

- Catch coughs and sneezes with disposable tissues – and throw the tissues away immediately after use before immediately washing your hands!

- If you don’t have a tissue, use your sleeve – and wash the item of clothing used at the next opportunity

- AVOID touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands

- AVOID close contact with people who are unwell

- Don´t panic!