- Region
- Águilas
- Alhama de Murcia
- Jumilla
- Lorca
- Los Alcázares
- Mazarrón
- San Javier
-
ALL AREAS & TOWNS
- AREAS
- SOUTH WEST
- MAR MENOR
- MURCIA CITY & CENTRAL
- NORTH & NORTH WEST
- TOWNS
- Abanilla
- Abarán
- Aguilas
- Alamillo
- Alcantarilla
- Aledo
- Alhama de Murcia
- Archena
- Balsicas
- Blanca
- Bolnuevo
- Bullas
- Cañadas del Romero
- Cabo de Palos
- Calasparra
- Camping Bolnuevo
- Campo De Ricote
- Camposol
- Canada De La Lena
- Caravaca de la Cruz
- Cartagena
- Cehegin
- Ceuti
- Cieza
- Condado de Alhama
- Corvera
- Costa Cálida
- Cuevas De Almanzora
- Cuevas de Reyllo
- El Carmoli
- El Mojon
- El Molino (Puerto Lumbreras)
- El Pareton / Cantareros
- El Raso
- El Valle Golf Resort
- Fortuna
- Fuente Alamo
- Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
- Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
- Isla Plana
- Islas Menores & Mar de Cristal
- Jumilla
- La Azohia
- La Charca
- La Manga Club
- La Manga del Mar Menor
- La Pinilla
- La Puebla
- La Torre
- La Torre Golf Resort
- La Unión
- Las Palas
- Las Ramblas
- Las Ramblas Golf
- Las Torres de Cotillas
- Leiva
- Librilla
- Lo Pagan
- Lo Santiago
- Lorca
- Lorquí
- Los Alcázares
- Los Balcones
- Los Belones
- Los Canovas
- Los Nietos
- Los Perez (Tallante)
- Los Urrutias
- Los Ventorrillos
- Mar De Cristal
- Mar Menor
- Mar Menor Golf Resort
- Mazarrón
- Mazarrón Country Club
- Molina de Segura
- Moratalla
- Mula
- Murcia City
- Murcia Property
- Pareton
- Peraleja Golf Resort
- Perin
- Pilar de la Horadada
- Pinar de Campoverde
- Pinoso
- Playa Honda
- Playa Honda / Playa Paraíso
- Pliego
- Portmán
- Pozo Estrecho
- Puerto de Mazarrón
- Puerto Lumbreras
- Puntas De Calnegre
- Region of Murcia
- Ricote
- Roda Golf Resort
- Roldan
- Roldan and Lo Ferro
- San Javier
- San Pedro del Pinatar
- Santiago de la Ribera
- Sierra Espuña
- Sucina
- Tallante
- Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
- Torre Pacheco
- Totana
- What's On Weekly Bulletin
- Yecla
- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Alicante Today Andalucia Today
Murcia Today Weekly Bulletin week ending 17th April 2020.
To recap:
When the last bulletin was sent on Wednesday 8th April, the Covid-19 situation in Spain was as follows:
6,180 new cases, total 146,690
757 fatalities, total 14,555
48,021 recoveries in total
Region of Murcia: 1,326 cases, 85 fatalities, 193 recoveries
By Monday lunchtime after the Easter weekend break the latest figures were as follows:
Spanish national figures: Total cases; 164,498 : 3,477 new cases in the last 24 hours
17,489 fatalities : 517 in the last 24 hours
64, 727 recoveries : 2, 336 in the last 24 hours
Region of Murcia; 1463 cases, 101 fatalities, 221 hospitalised, 43 in intensive care, 353 recovered.
Tuesday lunchtime:
Spanish national figures: Total cases 172,541 : 3045 new cases in the last 24 hours
Total fatalities 18,056 ; 576 deaths in the last 24 hours
Total recoveries: 67,504 : a rise of 2,777 in the last 24 hours, representing a 4.3% increase and bringing the percentage of those who have recovered from the virus to 39.12% of the total cases.
Region of Murcia; 1487 cases, 106 fatalities, 211 hospitalised, 41 in intensive care, 476 recovered.
Wednesday lunchtime:
National figures for Spain: Total cases 177, 633 : 5,092 new cases in the last 24 hours
Total fatalities 18,579 : 523 in the last 24 hours
Total recoveries 70, 853 : 3,346 in the last 24 hours
Region of Murcia; 1520 cases, 109 fatalities, 200 hospitalised, 36 in intensive care, 513 recovered.
Thursday lunchtime:
Total cases Spain: 182,816 : 5,183 new cases in the last 24 hours
Total fatalities: 19,130 : 551 in the last 24 hours
Total recoveries : 74,797 : 3,944 in the last 24 hours
Region of Murcia; 1598 cases, 111 fatalities, 186 hospitalised, 36 in intensive care, 591 recovered.
Friday lunchtime:
National totals: Click for full info
Total cases Spain: 188,068 : 5,252 new cases in the last 24 hours
Total fatalities: 19,478 : 585 in the last 24 hours
Total recoveries : 72,963 : 3,502 in the last 24 hours
NB: The figures for fatalities and recoveries do not correlate with the Thursday figures. See explanation about change in reporting methods below
Region of Murcia; 1625 cases, 112 fatalities, 160 hospitalised, 34 in intensive care, 617 recovered.
During week 5 of lockdown the evolution of the Covid-19 virus in both Spain and the Region of Murcia continues to occupy the majority of news stories as figures are scrutinised in the hope of seeing the long awaited flattening out of the contagions curve and announcement that restrictions are being eased.
At the same time, the IMF foresees that the unemployment rate will leap back up to 20.8 per cent, having fallen to 13.78 per cent at the end of last year (according to the Active Population Survey for the fourth quarter).
Certainly the problem of supply for medical professionals, emergency services, armed forces and the various police forces has been one of lack of availability of medically certified masks. Initially the government requisitioned supplies from private hospitals and businesses in Spain in an attempt to obtain sufficient quantities for initial use as stocks were ordered in from abroad.
Donations have been received from NATO, the WHO, EU nations and even China, as well as many private companies, and millions purchased via sources both in Spain and abroad, but still there is a shortage of not only masks but also protective equipment, and partially as a result of this, although there are undoubtedly other factors as well, more than 24,000 medical professionals and 9,000 members of the police and emergency services, have contracted the virus.
At one point the Policia Nacional were even printing their own masks using 3-D printers and in Lorca the council was spending the money raised through imposing lockdown fines on masks!
Slowly, the lack of professional protection is being addressed, although the general public is still experiencing significant problems in purchasing medically certified masks and there is a huge disparity in the prices being charged.
This morning we asked on social media sites whether masks were available in local communities and if so, at what cost, and the range of replies was astonishing.
Many areas of the country have no masks at all for sale anywhere, in others the local councils are handing out free masks to all of their residents (in Alhama de Murcia here in the Murcia Region for example, the council is delivering masks and gloves free to every household) and in some regions free masks are being given to either everyone or those considered to be in at risk groups, the cost financed by the respective regional government.
Prices vary wildly from under 1 euro, to 15 euros in one case, although 2-3 euros for one mask seems to be an accepted "normal level" in most places. Several readers report purchasing online in spite of the fact that most masks sold online claiming to be medically certified are fakes, although some also accept that they know the masks are "probably no good, but it's better to have something rather than nothing." A fairly extensive article about the topic can be read in full by clicking here.
This week millions of masks have been distributed by the national government to workers returning to work in non-essential services sectors, although this has in itself been subject to criticism as insufficient numbers of masks are being made available and socialist councils have been accused of using the mask distribution as a propaganda exercise by their political rivals. (we currently have a socialist government who paid for the 10 millon masks distributed nationwide in this exercise).
But the real problem facing all of us is the fact that until masks are freely available for everyone, the government is unable to proceed with any relaxation in its lockdown policy.
Lockdown restrictions
As stated above, the government is debating the extension of the State of Emergency until 11th May next Wednesday, and this is widely expected to be approved. There is already talk about a further 15 day extension and wide speculation about what will follow.
It must be stressed that NO FIRM DECISIONS ABOUT ANYTHING HAVE BEEN TAKEN AT THIS POINT, contrary to what “some bloke on facebook” or a free Britpress printed newspaper which has always purchased “filler” content for the spaces between its ads and is now desperately banging out inaccurate and sensationalist headlines in an effort to attract traffic and “go online” may be saying.
The government is openly acknowledging that it is studying ways in which the de-escalation of restrictions could be approached, with the first phase possibly taking place in June and July. During this initial phase there would still be some restriction on movement and travel and a “new normality” may be established, depending on how the pandemic develops and persists over the rest of this year, as well as how the resources of the health service recover from the strain of the last two months. Click to read: Spanish government discussing gradual lifting of lockdown restrictions.
But Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has warned that no return to “full normality” will be possible until Covid-19 dies out or a vaccine is made widely available, and for example it will not be until the second phase of de-escalation that bars and restaurants will be allowed to re-open, so there is little hope of anything approaching a “normal” summer for any of us.
There is already discussion about the possible subsequent waves of Covid-19 that may follow in the autumn, and this week the Murcian Health Service confirmed that it is already working on its plans for a projected second wave in the autumn.
There is no escaping the fact that this is a worldwide pandemic of a highly contagious virus and politicians in Spain and other countries are openly admitting that we are in for a long haul.
This week expats have spent a considerable amount of time on social media discussing flight options for the summer, and it is highly advisable for anyone wishing to change their Spanish lockdown for a UK lockdown this autumn to consider how they can achieve this over the summer period, although at the moment it is impossible to say with any certainty what travel restrictions will be in place and at what point they will come into force.
It is hard to envisage the Murcian government receiving thousands of summer visitors from Madrid with open arms if there are still cases in the capital, and equally difficult to envisage the Spanish government welcoming planes packed with British holidaymakers should there still be cases live in the UK, particularly after the country has endured weeks of lockdown and economic privation in order to vanquish the virus, no matter how much the country and region need the tourism revenue.
However, although lockdown is increasingly hard to bear, there is no doubt that it is helping to stem the spread of the virus.
A study compiled by researchers at the University of Oviedo and the Autonomous University of Madrid has concluded that the lockdown restrictions and the state of emergency declared by the Spanish government on 14th March have had the effect of reducing the number of coronavirus cases in this country by 79.5 per cent. Their study concludes that had the lockdown not been imposed the number of confirmed cases on 4th April would have almost doubled to 2,392, as opposed to the “real” figure of 1,236 at that date. In Spain as a whole the number of infections could have been as many as half a million higher at 617,000.
In the Region of Murcia, the study compiled by Luis Orea and Inmaculada C. Álvarez reports that the number of cases has been reduced by 48.8 per cent.
An intriguing “what if” scenario in the study considers how the situation might have developed if the state of emergency had been declared a week earlier. This would have meant the cancellation of the mass demonstrations on International Women’s Day (8th March) and of numerous other events where large crowds gathered, such as football matches, and the researchers conclude that four weeks later on 4th April the number of cases confirmed would have reached “only” 47,000 rather than 126,000: a reduction of a further 63 per cent!
There have been many other Covid stories this week which can be read by clicking on articles in the news feed below.
These include:
Rules relaxed to allow final visits to end-of-life care patients in care homes. The proclivity for elderly victims is one of the most brutal and soul-destroying aspects of this virus which has rampaged through care homes in not only Spain but all over the world. Visitors were banned for those known to be contagious in an effort to stem the spread of the virus, so many elderly people died alone, but this week the Murcian Health Authority relaxed the ban to allow one end of life visitor for those who are dying.Click to read
San Javier pharmacy under investigation for selling non-approved facemasks at 10 euros. Click to read.
Coronavirus causes confusion over the end of the school year in Spain. Click to read
Woman arrested in Los Nietos for posing as a nurse and offering Coronavirus tests. Click to read
Muslims in Cartagena donate food to those in need during the coronavirus emergency: Click to read
Coronavirus lockdown breaker detained for walking undocumented sheep: Click to read
Other news this week:
Spanish government plans to ban fracking
This week the Spanish government has announced its intention to ban the controversial technique of hydraulic fracturing, in which rock is fractured by a pressurized liquid to extract underground gas or oil supplies throughout the country by means of a new Law for Climate Change and Transition which is currently being drawn up.
The proposed new law will impose limits and restrictions on all new exploration and investigation activities related to the extraction of hydrocarbons, and it will become impossible for licences to be granted for fracking either on land or in Spanish territorial waters. Click to read full article: https://murciatoday.com/spanish-government-plans-to-ban-fracking_1396024-a.html
Ongoing arguments relating to the Mar Menor this week
This week has been a rather typical one since algal growth first began to appear in unmanageable quantities in the waters of the region's most important tourist attraction, as politicians and the CHS continue to argue about who should pay for what and who is responsible for the current situation.
Regardless of your political inclinations there is no doubt that this summer is likely to be a complete disaster for the tourism sector working in this area due to the Covid situation, so if the lagoon begins to resemble a bowl of pea green soup once again this summer, as seems likely given the proliferation of algal growth this spring, then it won´t be the principal cause of the financial disaster for local businesses.
However, it is still vital to resolve the issues facing the lagoon and find long-term solutions. Click to read the full article which explains in detail what has happened this week: Ongoing arguments relating to the Mar Menor this week.
Thank you for your support!
Cartagena
El Carmoli
Islas Menores and Mar de Cristal
La Manga Club
La Manga del Mar Menor
La Puebla
La Torre Golf Resort
La Union
Los Alcazares
Los Belones
Los Nietos
Los Urrutias
Mar Menor Golf Resort
Pilar de la Horadada
Playa Honda / Playa Paraiso
Portman
Roldan and Lo Ferro
San Javier
San Pedro del Pinatar
Santa Rosalia Lake and Life resort
Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
Torre Pacheco
Aledo
Alhama de Murcia
Bolnuevo
Camposol
Condado de Alhama
Fuente Alamo
Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
Lorca
Mazarron
Puerto de Mazarron
Puerto Lumbreras
Sierra Espuna
Totana
Abaran
Alcantarilla
Archena
Blanca
Corvera
El Valle Golf Resort
Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
Lorqui
Molina de Segura
Mosa Trajectum
Murcia City
Peraleja Golf Resort
Ricote
Sucina
Condado de Alhama
El Valle Golf Resort
Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
Islas Menores and Mar de Cristal
La Manga Club
La Torre Golf Resort
Mar Menor Golf Resort
Mazarron Country Club
Mosa Trajectum
Peraleja Golf Resort
Santa Rosalia Lake and Life resort
Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
La Zenia
Lomas de Cabo Roig
CAMPOSOL TODAY Whats OnCartagena SpainCoronavirusCorvera Airport MurciaMurcia Gota Fria 2019Murcia property news generic threadWeekly Bulletin