Date Published: 04/03/2021
ARCHIVED - Mediterranean regions of Spain determined to keep visitors out at Easter
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
Madrid seems isolated in opposing an Easter travel ban to avoid a fourth wave of the pandemic
It had been widely expected that the Spanish government would announce on Thursday that inter-regional travel will be prohibited over the Easter holidays in an effort to prevent a fourth wave of coronavirus infection, but having failed to gain the support of all 17 of the regional governments the decision has now been postponed for another week.
The main objector in the talks concerning Easter is the region of Madrid, where the regional authorities are doubtless aware that millions of the inhabitants traditionally take part in a mass exodus from the capital as madrileños head for the Costas. But what does seem clear is that the Mediterranean coastal regions of Catalunya, the Comunidad Valenciana, the Balearics, Murcia and Andalucía are determined to remain closed, frustrating hopes that the tourism sector might be partially re-activated but at the same time guarding against consequences similar to those which were seen after the relaxation of pandemic restrictions during Christmas and the New Year.
It is worth remembering that at present the highest rate of infection in Spain is in Madrid, where a 14-day accumulated incidence rate of 261 makes it the only region still classified as being at “extreme risk”.
At the same time, it appears that the national government is keen to avoid a repeat of the Christmas holidays, when 17 different sets of rules were in force in the 17 Autonomous Communities of Spain, hence the decision to postpone any announcement in the hope of gaining the support of Madrid. The government’s intention, though, has been made abundantly clear by Carolina Darias, the Minister for Health, who stated that the aim is “to save lives, not to save weeks”.
One of the most vocal supporters of maintaining the ban on inter-regional travel is Ximo Puig, the president of the regional government in the Comunidad Valenciana, and he has already contacted his counterparts in the neighbouring regions of Murcia, the Balearics, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragón and Catalunya to ensure their support. Sr Puig justifies his initiative on the grounds that no one region can be allowed to jeopardize the efforts which continue to be made by the inhabitants of the Comunidad Valenciana, and similar sentiments have been expressed by Fernando López Miras in the Region of Murcia.
The incidence rate in Valencia has dipped below 100 for the first time in many months, but with the vaccination campaign progressing frustratingly slowly Sr Puig believes that it is not prudent to remove all restrictions on movement within Spain before the summer.
In all likelihood the Valencia president will get his way and visitors will not be permitted from other regions during Semana Santa, and if Madrid insists on being the only region not to ban travel it will theoretically make no difference as residents will be prohibited from entering other regions although they might be allowed to leave their own; the most likely outcome is that as Madrid's largest neighbour, Castilla La Mancha has already expressed its hope that Madrid will act responsibly and confine its citizens, the region of Madrid will find itself marooned as an island amidst a sea of closed borders, with its residents unable to enter any other region although theoretically, they can leave their own.
What is at stake, though, is the national government’s ability to achieve a consensus among the 17 regional administrations, and in this sense the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, appears bent on making it as difficult as possible (as she has done throughout the crisis on several major issues).