Date Published: 23/07/2020
ARCHIVED - Murcia Region; 67 new Covid cases in the last 24 hours
ARCHIVED ARTICLE
This brings the total number of active cases up to 252
60% of the active cases in the Region at the moment are amongst the Latin-American community
The rate of contagions in the Murcia region accelerated significantly on Thursday as 67 new positive cases pushed the total of active cases up to 252; the highest figure for more than 2 months and double the figure reported yesterday.
Last Thursday the region had 88 active cases, so this is nearly treble the number just a week ago.
This rapid increase has been fuelled by the so-called “Bolivian outbreak” which relates back to three Bolivian nationals, residents of the Murcia Region, who returned to Spain on June 3rd via a flight through Barajas Airport in Madrid. They are known to have drunk in the Atalayas zone, seeding the current outbreak. The "Bolivian case" has resulted in more than 150 quarantines and dozens of cases in different areas of the region during the last month, all stemming out from the leisure venues in Atalayas and drinkers from different areas of the region who gathered in these venues.
One person is confirmed to have died in the outbreak; a 98 year old woman from Moratalla in the north-west of the region, infected by a family member who was linked into this contagions chain.
60% of the active cases relate to the Latin-American Community in the region, namely nationals originally from Equador, Bolivia and Columbia. These communities originally migrated to the region seeking work in the agricultural sector, although have been here such a long time that they now work in many other sectors, although still maintain very close ties within their own community.
Attendees at a weekend performance at the Victor Villegas Auditorium in Murcia may have seen thousands of Latin-American nationals from the areas around the capital and surrounding agricultural districts gathering to play music, football and volleyball in the Recinto Ferial next to the auditorium as they do all over the region every week.
44 of the new cases relate to an outbreak in the Totana municipality, for which reason the municipality has been confined/locked down, whatever you want to call it, and residents will have to abide by the conditions of phase 1. Nobody is allowed in or out of the municipality although residents are not confined to their homes.
The Minister said in his presentation that both the Totana and Atalaya outbreaks were “worrying”; the remainder are believed to be under control.
The number of individuals in home isolation increased this Wednesday by 56, to 236 cases. The situation in the Region's hospitals remains the same as the previous day, with 16 admitted, one of them in intensive care. The fatalities total is the same and remains at 151.
So far, 84,257 PCR tests have been performed, of which more than 1,300 were undertaken on Wednesday alone. Since the start of the pandemic, the number of positive cases has risen to 3,688.
The regional Government repeated its call for the public to wear masks and call 112 if they believe they are suffering from Covid symptoms and arrange for a test. Do NOT go to a health centre without an appointment.