Date Published: 18/04/2020

Murcia Today weekly news bulletin week ending 24th April

Region of Murcia cases (NB: days relate to the day on which the figures were published)

Lead image: A bit of fun from Cartagena council in a difficult week!

Saturday 18th : 1647, 22 new cases. Click to read full report

Sunday 19th : 1659, 12 new cases (1440 using PCR test, 219 rapid tests). Click to read full report

Monday 20th : 1697 (1445 using PCR test, 252 rapid tests). Click to read full report

Tuesday 21st: 1717, only 833 of which are current cases (1455 using PCR, 262 rapid tests. Total tests to date; 17,004 using PCR, 1792 rapid tests). Click to read full report

Wednesday 22nd : 1721, with only 831 active cases (1,460 diagnosed via PCR test, 261 via rapid test. Total tests to date 17,723 PCR, 1,840 rapid). Click to read full report

Thursday 23rd : 1,741, with 825 positive cases (1468 diagnosed by PCR, 273 via rapid test) Click to read full report. Click to read full report

Murcia deaths (total figures to date)

Saturday 18th : 115, 3 in the last 24 hours, 2 of them in care homes

Sunday 19th : 117, 2 in the last 24 hours

Monday 20th : 120, 3 in the last 24 hours

Tuesday 21st : 123, 3 in the last 24 hours (NB: 90% of all deaths in the Murcia Region are in patients aged 70+)

Wednesday 22nd : 124 (28 patients in intensive care, 117 hospitalised, 714 at home)

Thursday 23rd : 125 (1 in the last 24 hours, hospitalised 105,intensive care 22, at home 720)

Murcia recoveries:

Saturday 18th : 638

Sunday 19th : 662

Monday 20th : 702

Tuesday 21st : 761

Wednesday 22nd : 766

Thursday 23rd : 791

Murcia Today weekly news bulletin week ending 24th April

Figures for whole of Spain:

Total number of cases to date

Saturday 18th : 193,920 (4,499 new positives in the last 24 hours)

Sunday 19th : 200,210 ( 4,266 new positives in the last 24 hours) Click to read full report

Monday 20th : 204,178 (3, 968 new cases in the last 24 hours). Click to read full report

Tuesday 21st : 208,389 (4,211 new cases in the last 24 hours) NB. No new patients admitted to intensive care in 6 of the 17 regions of Spain including Murcia. Click to read full report

Wednesday 22nd : 213,024(4,635 new cases in the last 24 hours) Click to read full report

Thursday 23rd : 219,762 Click to read full repòrt

Confirmed deaths in Spain from Covid-19

Saturday 18th : 20,043 (565 deaths in the last 24 hours)

Sunday 19th : 20,852 (399 in the last 24 hours) NB. The first time deaths have dropped below 400 since 24th March

Monday 20th : 21,282 (430 in the last 24 hours, less than half of the total on Monday last week)

Tuesday 21st : 21,717 (435 in the last 24 hours) NB: 4th consecutive day below 500.

Wednesday 22nd : 22,157 (440 in the last 24 hours)

Thursday 23rd : 22,524

Total number cured to date:

Saturday 18th : 74,662 (3,166 in the last 24 hours)

Sunday 19th : 80,587 (3,230 in the last 24 hours)

Monday 20th: 82,514 (1927 in the last 24 hours)

Tuesday 21st : 82,514 (3,041 in the last 24 hours) NB: Recoveries total 41% of all confirmed cases.

Wednesday 22nd 89,250 (3,335 in the last 24 hours)

Thursday 23rd : 92,355

Murcia Today weekly news bulletin week ending 24th April

Relaxation of lockdown

The whole topic of when we will come out of lockdown or be able to enjoy a little fresh air once again is becoming a little bit of an obsession for most of us; hardly surprising after six weeks locked indoors!

As expected, on Wednesday the Congress granted a third extension of the State of Emergency in Spain until 9th May, although this time the Prime Minister had to face a more hostile parliament, calling into question his management of the crisis and demanding various measures, including relaxed restrictions and further fiscal support for businesses. Click HERE to read the full report.

The PM said that any relaxation of the containment measures would be "slow and gradual".

However, he also expressed confidence that in the second half of May life will begin in the “new normality” of Spain.The likelihood appears to be, though, that by then significant relaxations of the confinement rules will be feasible, particularly in the regions of the Canaries, Murcia and La Rioja where the resources of the health services are least stretched at present. (In Murcia the region's RO number is down to 0.84) and the region has the second lowest rate of contagion in Spain (or best rate only taking into consideration mainland regions) with 24.7 cases confirmed last week per 100,000 inhabitants: only the Canaries performed better with just 15.4, while in Madrid and Castilla y León the figures were over 250.

(A report written about the situation in the Canary Islands makes interesting reading as some of the islands now have no cases at all and on La Gomera the figure has not risen for a fortnight, so this region of Spain looks set to become the first to experience a relaxation of the confinement. Click HERE to read the full report)

Evolution of Covid cases in the region

Since the first case was reported in the Region of Murcia on 7th March there have been 1741 positive diagnoses, and now there are only 825 cases still active. 125 have died in total.

On Monday it was reported that 288 of the cases in the region had been in homes for the elderly and the disabled, with this group accounting for over half of all deaths (60). Of all deaths reported in the region, 90% have been in patients aged 70 and over.

Second wave of Covid-19 expected in the autumn: Last weekend the regional health minister Manuel Villegas said it was probable that there would be a second outbreak in the autumn so the regional government and health service were already preparing for this eventuality, and had produced a regional plan in anticipation of the anticipated “second wave”.

By Wednesday this week he was talking about more immediate plans within the regional government for de-escalation in the near future as the numbers of active cases in the region continued to decrease, the aim of the government both now and in the autumn to focus on increasing testing in order to detect new cases quickly, isolate the patients and identify all possible contacts quickly to contain any future spread of the virus.

The key to opening the door is a falling death rate tied to a decline in new cases, and a study carried out by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington in Seattle has produced a forecast that the first day on which no Covid-19 deaths will be recorded in Spain will be 20th May. The IHME is compiling data regarding the coronavirus pandemic from all over the world, including not only the number of confirmed cases and fatalities but also the health service resources in each country and even each region. It's an interesting report. Click to read the full article.

By Friday Murcia had 791 recoveries, almost as many people in this group as there are active cases of Covid-19 (825).

Furthermore, the strain on the resources of the health service continues to ease gradually, with the number of coronavirus patients in hospital falling to 105, 22 of them in intensive care units, and Manuel Villegas, the minister for Health in the regional government, continues to express cautious optimism over the improving situation.

Sr Villegas reiterates that all of the indications are that the continuing de-escalation of the confinement is likely to be “asymmetrical”. In other words, those living in some parts of Spain will probably be allowed a greater degree of freedom earlier than those in others, and it appears that Murcia could be one of the Regions where steps towards the “new normality” will be made earlier rather than later.

However, speaking to the press on Thursday evening, he wisely refused to be drawn into revealing the matters to be discussed during Friday’s video-conference among all 17 regional health authorities and the national government, explaining that he would not wish to raise false hopes prior to decisions being made. On the matter of allowing children outside, he said, those involved have been behaving “a little crazily”, making and reversing decisions in great haste, and while the minister believes that Murcia has sufficient capacity to isolate any new cases confirmed he also reminds the public that public places must be considered places of risk in spreading contagion.

In this context, he says that it is still early to speculate on whether it may be possible for people to go to the beaches of the Costa Cálida this summer.

Guardia Civil report almost 1,500 coronavirus cases among officers: Click to read this article

Spanish government relaxes lockdown permitting children under 14 to go out for walks

This story has received widespread coverage in the Spanish media this week as the original measures announced by the government were rapidly retracted and substituted following public anger after the initial announcement.

In a way, the government only has itself to blame as hopes were raised for millions of families on Saturday during the Prime Minister’s weekly address in which he indicated that restrictions would be relaxed this week, providing some relief for the 6.8 million children who have been effectively trapped inside their apartments for the last 40 days.

However, when the much-awaited announcement came on Tuesday it was only to allow children to accompany their parents on essential shopping trips, NOT to go for a walk in the open-air.

Frustrated parents expressed their incomprehension on social media and their evident anger was echoed vociferously by politicians from every party including many from the government itself. Within a couple of hours the government had backed-down and announced a hastily agreed-upon modification.

The new de-escalation measure means that children up to the age of 14 WILL be allowed to go out for “walks” with one of their parents, providing that all social distancing recommendations are observed and the date of the new measure has been brought forward one day to Sunday 26th April. Children aged 14 and under will be allowed outside for a maximum of one hour per day between 9.00 and 21.00 in the company of one adult, always within one kilometre of their homes.

They will not be allowed to meet up and play with other children, though, apart from their brothers and sisters, and the use of playgrounds is not permitted (although bicycles, skateboards and toys are allowed). At the same time social distancing is to be maintained, and no adult may accompany more than three children at any one time.

The accompanying adult may be an older sibling aged over 18, but for those aged between 14 and 18 the confinement restrictions remain in place for the time being.

Announcing the abrupt change of policy, Salvador Illa, the Minister for Health, justified it by saying that “the government knows how to listen”, and indeed it would have taken a particularly deaf administration not to notice the widespread dismay generated. Spanish speakers also found great entertainment in creating humorous internet posts about the topic, as the words al campo mean going to the country, and Alcampo is also the name of a Spanish supermarket chain; social media users took great delight in mocking the government and their alleged inability to understand that parents wanted to take their children al campo and NOT TO Alcampo…..I’m sure you get the idea….

As the week progressed, councils intensified disinfection in the streets of their municipalities and urged parents to be cautious on Sunday.

Of the 1,741 cases so far confirmed in the Region of Murcia 7 have been in infants under the age of 2, there have been a further 3 in 2- to 4-year-olds and 8 in 5- to 14-year-olds. That makes a total of 18 infections in the age group which will be allowed a certain amount of freedom as of Sunday, and of course, as many children who catch the virus are among those to present either very mild symptoms or none at all, there have probably been many more.

(Fortunately, no child has died of the infection in Murcia and only 4 have had to be admitted to hospital, including the 4-month-old baby infant who travelled from Madrid to Totana and was found to be infected as one of the first cases in the Region. None of the under-14s has required intensive care, although three of the 18 people aged between 15 and 29 to have tested positive have received such treatment.)

In addition, it should be remembered that although children are not generally affected so badly by Covid-19, they are potential carriers of the virus and as such a likely source of contagion in adults. This is precisely why schools remain closed and are likely to do so for some time, and why it has been stressed since the pandemic first reached Spain that youngsters should not visit their grandparents.

Correos in Covid chaos!!!

During the coronavirus lockdown and the state of emergency in Spain many people have become increasingly reliant on postal deliveries of packages to their homes, but unfortunately one of the consequences of the pandemic has been a severe decrease in the efficiency of Correos (the Spanish post office) and many parcels have been arriving late or not at all.

After the state of emergency was declared on 14th March Correos decided to provide only their “Servicio Postal Universal” service, limiting deliveries to letters and small packages. Deliveries of large items have been suspended for over a month, and this in turn has resulted in a loss of revenue and the inability of the Correos Express division (normally used only for urgent deliveries) to deal with all of the extra work it has suddenly taken over

At the same time it is reported that Correos’ contracts with large customers such as Amazon and Alibaba (AliExpress) are in serious jeopardy, with the companies threatening to break off business relations and maintain collaboration only in rural areas. The Amazon contract alone is worth 100 million euros a year to Correos.

During the state of emergency Correos has been operating with only 25 per cent of its 55,000-strong workforce active, so if your Amazon survival parcel has failed to turn up it could well be forming part of the Covid-generated backlog in Correos depots, and judging from the number of questions on social media this week, many readers are currently experiencing this same problem. Click HERE to read the full article.

Tester kits

The topic of tester kits continues to be important this week in the Spanish news

Faulty kits again!!! The Spanish government is pushing for a full reimbursement of the cost of 640,000 rapid coronavirus testing kits purchased from the Chinese company Bioeasy after a second shipment was found to be defective.

At the end of March the Ministry of Health returned the first 58,000 rapid testing kits to China after establishing that they had a sensibility of only 30 per cent rather than the required minimum of 80 per cent. Delivery of the rest of the shipment of 640,000 kits was cancelled but then Bioeasy suggested an alternative rapid testing kit, this one requiring the use of a separate machine to read the results: the company was to supply these readers free of charge in order to compensate for the inconvenience caused.

These testing kits were purchased before Spain ordered a massive 532 million euros’ worth of medical equipment from China, including eight weeks of supplies of facemasks for patients and medical professionals and a total of 5.5 million rapid test kits tests to increase the extent of Covid-19 testing in Spain.

Mass testing delayed in Murcia by defects in rapid antibody kits

These same faulty kits are proving a real problem for the regional authorities as well as the national, and the second batch purchased by the Murcian regional health service, the SMS, has followed the first and been returned to the national Ministry of Health, delaying testing here in Murcia. In consequence the mass testing which it had been hoped would have started by now will be put back another week.

Brushing off the urgency of using these kits, Manuel Villegas, the minister for health in the Murcia government, reiterated that they are used not to diagnose Covid-10 but to identify those who have been infected but developed only mild symptoms or none at all. The pilot phase of the “new” kits will be carried out at the health centres of Monteagudo (Murcia), Lorca South, Mariano Yago in Yecla, Alhama de Murcia and San Javier, where the first patients have been given appointments for Tuesday morning.

Assuming all goes well, the kits will then be distributed to the 85 health centres of the Region of Murcia next week.

2,700 Murcianos included in nationwide sample testing study

Meanwhile, it has been announced that the 2,700 residents of the Region of Murcia selected to be part of a nationwide sample in order to estimate the true extent of coronavirus infection in Spain will be tested from next week onwards at their local SMS health centres. The study is being carried out by the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, with a nationwide sample size of 62,400 people, aiming to prove or disprove the theory that 5 per cent of the population of Spain has been affected, some 2.35 million people.

Formula 1 and UCL Hospital combine to design respirator machine being built in La Unión

Work has begun in La Unión on a project to build a respirator machine for coronavirus patients using a design put together by engineers at the Mercedes Formula 1 team and University College London Hospital, the aim of the joint venture between the Universidad Politécnica de Cartagena (UPCT) and the Federation of Metalworking Companies of the Region of Murcia (FREMM) being to complete the device within two weeks.

The UPCT and Tecsumaga collaborate frequently on various projects, including the UPCT Racing Team and the manufacture of precision instrumentation for the naval and sector and the aerospace industry.

The respirator is being built at the premises of the company Tecsumaga SL, which specializes in high precision mechanized production.Click to read the full article

Facemasks

Recycling of facemasks and gloves during the coronavirus emergency

Over the last six weeks or so life in Spain has changed dramatically, with people having rapidly become accustomed to wearing facemasks and protective gloves and using disinfectant hand-washing gel, but as that becomes a part of our daily routine a frequently asked question concerns how we should dispose of these items once we have used them.

It is reported that the coronavirus can remain active on the outside of facemasks for up to a week, and on top of this, of course, most gloves and many other items are not bio-degradable, so there has been considerable confusion about how to dispose of these items correctly. Those left to clean-up supermarket car parks are naturally concerned by the health risk to themselves, as are workers in waste disposal centres.

There are different guidelines for households with and those without, Covid-19 cases. Click here for full information about how to correctly dispose of masks and gloves.

Faulty masks

Murcia health authority returns 15,000 defective facemasks

There have not only been problems with faulty tester kits, masks have also caused issues this week and there was considerable consternation when it emerged that a consignment of 40,000 FFP2 protective facemasks which were sent to the regional health service of Murcia (SMS) by the national Ministry of Health were defective.

Many of the SMS staff known to have used the masks are employed at the Santa Lucía and Rosell hospitals in Cartagena, although masks were distributed to all parts of the Region of Murcia except the health area of the north-west, before notification was received from the Ministry. Half of them were withdrawn before they were used, and the 1100 staff affected were immediately tested, but although most tests were negative and staff were able to resume work, others were placed in confinement as a precautionary measure.

Later in the week it was reported that the batch of masks withdrawn came from a 33.1 million euro lot of pharmaceutical supplies purchased by the Spanish government via the Hangzhou Ruining Trading Company, paid for in advance. The masks were produced by the Garry Galaxy factory and the government advised the trading company that it will not accept any further products from this company and will be sending inspectors into the factories to ensure that the quality is of sufficient standards before accepting any further supplies.

Fortunately the SMS regional health service has sufficient protection equipment to last its staff for approximately a month, despite using 50,000 masks every day.

Facemask mass production machinery arrives in Spain from China

The Spanish government has been attempting to resolve its mask shortage in several ways; buying in supplies from abroad, adapting manufacturing facilities to make masks here in Spain and purchasing custom built machinery from abroad to do the same thing on a large scale. Four facemask manufacturing machines produced in Kunshan (China) by the company Corporación Mondragón arrived in Madrid over the weekend, to produce 60 million masks at the rate of 10 million per month. The machines were collected by the Air Force and taken by military convoys to the Mondragón premises in Markina, in the province of Vizcaya, and the Military Pharmacy in Burgos.

On Sunday a Spanish air force Airbus A400M transport plane arrived back at the base of Torrejón de Ardoz in the region of Madrid from Shanghai, carrying 12 tons of additional health care equipment and supplies, the seventh to complete a mission of this kind since the government began transporting shipments of supplies as an emergency measure, with the amount of supplies imported to date weighing 80 tons.

Facemask price limit set at 96 cents: The maximum price includes VAT and is for surgical standard masks only

Last week it was reported that the Guardia Civíl had confiscated masks being sold at 10 euros each from a pharmacy in san Javier and readers reported a huge variation in prices and availability across the country, as this sought after commodity attracted unscrupulous vendors taking advantage of the high demand.

The government, aware that this was a major issue, announced that they would be setting the maximum price at which masks could be sold and on Tuesday evening set the maximum price permitted for the sale of surgical-standard facemasks to members of the public at 96 cents inclusive of VAT. In the near future further legislation is expected to regulate the prices of other specifications of facemasks, including those of FFP2 and FFP3 standard.

At the moment the government recommends the use of disposable or re-usable facemasks on public transport and in other situations where it is hard to enforce social distancing, although this is not currently a legal requirement.

A maximum price was also set for disinfectant hand-washing gel; for a small 100ml container members of the public should not be asked to pay more than 2.10 euros, and the price per millilitre is lower for larger containers: 1.8 cents/ml for those between 150 and 300 millilitres, and 1.5 cents for those between 300 ml and a litre.

The Murcia government gives free masks for the over-65s throughout the Region:

Half a million surgical-standard masks are to be handed out free of charge to those aged over 65 and registered with the SMS through the network of pharmacies in the Region. There are approximately 236,000 people in this age group in Murcia and in order to reduce their possible exposure to contagion it will be permitted for relatives to collect their masks as long as they present their health service cards at dispensing chemists. Distribution has already started and the government aims to have the masks into pharmacies by Monday, with 2 masks allocated per person.

A further 80,000 re-usable masks per week for use by the population in general would be produced at Yecla in factories formerly manufacturing furniture, and around 600,000 will be distributed via the network of pharmacies throughout the Region for the general public.

Puerto Lumbreras; town hall joins Alhama de Murcia in distributing free facemasks to all of the residents of the municipality, beginning this week with those aged over 60; click for full story.

Supreme Court obliges the Spanish government to provide adequate PPE for medical staff

In response to demands from unions representing medical workers a ruling was issued by Spain’s Supreme Court on Monday obliging the national government and the Ministry of Health to provide adequate protective equipment to healthcare and medical workers who are involved in combatting the spread of the coronavirus.

This effectively means that if the government is shown to fail in supplying protective masks, gowns and other equipment it could face prosecution. At present the Court explains that no investigation is being made into possible failures over the last two months, and that the ruling is a warning that the obligation exists and must be obeyed.

The new cases of Covid-19 confirmed on Thursday morning included 1,202 health and medical workers, bringing the total within the sector to 34,355: equivalent to approximately 1 in 6 of all cases throughout the country.

This week it has also been proposed that the families of health workers who die after contracting Covid-19 should be entitled to the same compensation as other workers who suffer "accidents at work". This proposal is likely to resurface should the PM attempt to seek a fourth prolongation of the state of emergency, as it came from an opposition party.

Spanish property prices expected to fall as a result of the coronavirus pandemic
Analysts expect the effect to be less drastic than in the collapse of the market over a decade ago
The latest official property market data published by the Spanish government’s central statistics unit show that in February the number of homes bought and sold was just 0.1 per cent higher than in the same month last year at 44,104, but of course the March and April figures are likely to show dramatic falls due to the coronavirus pandemic and the national state of emergency.
In these unprecedented times there is great uncertainty over what the future might hold for the residential property market in Spain, but many analysts are confident that the real estate sector is robust enough for the inevitable downturn to be far less catastrophic than the collapse in 2008 and 2009. With demand in rural areas and tourist zones likely to fall significantly, prices are almost certain to fall, and at the same time the expected increase in unemployment will mean fewer people being willing to purchase, although conversely, bank interest rates are likely to remain attractively low for buyers.
The drop in market prices is expected to be between 6.5 per cent and 13.5 per cent in most areas, according to a study published this week. Click HERE to read the full article.

Another article this week examines the probability that Covid-19 could increase the value of homes in Spain with gardens!
Over the last six weeks – and with the state of emergency prolonged for at least another fortnight – small balconies and terraces have become far too claustrophobic for many of those confined to their apartments, and as a result various experts forecast a sharp rise in the demand for detached, semi-detached or terraced properties with spacious patios or gardens. For decades the apartment has been king in the Spanish real estate market, but Covid-19 could change all that at a stroke as the population learns the value of owning space outdoors as well as indoors. Click here to read the full article

Other news this week.

Violent cloudburst causes localized flooding in parts of Murcia

The torrential storm which had been forecast in the Region of Murcia on Sunday finally arrived during the evening, bringing an hour-long cloudburst to the regional capital and various other areas. As much as 30 millimetres of rain fell in an hour in some locations before the worst of the weather then moved north towards Jumilla, where the rain turned to hail in the town centre leaving up to 40 mm of precipitation. Localized flooding was reported in many areas and roads became impassable: in Molina de Segura the fire brigade was called out to rescue two people from a car and another man was rescued when the water rose to the level of the boot of his car in Beniaján.

The CHS water infrastructures administration body reported the heaviest rainfall in Santomera (53.4 mm) and the Rambla de Las Moreras in the municipality of Mazarrón (31 mm), where the D-6 road leading to Morata had to be closed by a rockfall. As water rushed down the rambla to the sea various residential areas in Mazarrón were flooded, particularly in Bolnuevo, Playa Grande and Bahía.

Mar Menor also affected by storms

The amount of rain which fell in Los Alcázares on Sunday was no more than 19 millimetres according to the CHS, but images circulated on social networks that the water entering the lagoon on Sunday was foul-smelling and a dark greyish brown in colour, leaving behind it a residue which is leading some to claim that untreated sewage has been allowed to make its way into the Mar Menor.

The day after it was announced by the regional government of Murcia that a research group consisting of experts from universities in Murcia, Valencia and Sevilla had been formed to analyse the effect of changing weather patterns on the marine environment of the Mar Menor with particular reference to the increased frequency of “DANAs” (isolated high altitude depressions) in south-eastern Spain and the torrential “gota fría” storms with which these phenomena are often associated.

Despite the general consensus that the main factor behind the alteration in water quality in the Mar Menor over recent decades is the use of fertilizers in agriculture in the Campo de Cartagena, a practice which increases the nutrient content of runoff water into the lagoon, the regional minister for the environment maintains that the importance of the rash of heavy storms in recent years must not be underestimated. He also reiterated this week that the Murcia government is currently applying at least 15 measures to protect the Mar Menor, but that they will take effect over the “medium to long term” rather than immediately. Click here to read the full report.

On Friday the regional Spanish press published complaints from residents in Los Urrutias and Los Nietos that rotting biomass was darkening in colour and emitting an odour of rotting eggs along the shoreline. In response Ángel Pérez Ruzafa of the government’s scientific committee overseeing the condition of the lagoon attributes this latest episode to the failure to collect the seaweed which has accumulated along the coast in recent weeks. He is quoted as saying that “the problem is that the beaches were not cleaned properly a month or a month and a half ago”, and that the smell is due to seaweed rotting on the beach. Click to read the full report

The naturalists association ANSE buys Cabo Cope: An investment of half a million euros in order to protect the imposing headland on the coastline of Águilas. Click for the full story

To coincide with the 50th anniversary of Earth Day on 22nd April the naturalists’ group ANSE (Asociación de Naturalistas del Sureste) has announced that with the help of the WWF España group it has purchased the headland of Cabo Cope in the municipality of Águilas, in the south-west of the Region of Murcia.

ANSE’s purchase is intended to guarantee the protection of the headland (and the regional park of Cabo Cope and Puntas de Calnegre) once and for all after the natural characteristics of the area were threatened in the early years of this century by the proposed Marina de Cope development: this mega-project would not have occupied the headland itself but a large area just to the north of it, and was ruled illegal by the courts after it was deemed to include areas of protected land.

The land acquired by the Fundación ANSE occupies an area of 270 hectares, including almost all of the mountainous terrain of Cabo Cope, and includes various plots previously owned by Bankia (formerly Caja Madrid) which were later passed onto the books of the “bad bank” Sareb. The only areas not now owned by the naturalists are those on which privately owned homes are located

It is reported that the cost of the land acquired by ANSE was approximately 500,000 euros, and ANSE’s director Pedro García explains that with this purchase the intention is to prevent the arrival of “speculative funds” interested in re-activating the plans to build Marina de Cope, and to lobby for the approval of the Natural Resources Land Ordinance plan which was shelved in order to allow the development to go ahead. At one time Marina de Cope was to include 9,000 homes, various hotels and sports facilities including at least one golf course, as well as an artificially created inland harbour and marina. An appeal will be launched in the coming weeks to finance the project.

Whale and dolphin sightings increase during the coronavirus lockdown!

#ALMERÍA | Delfines protagonizan unas espectaculares imágenes captadas por el Servicio Marítimo de la Guardia Civil en Cabo de Gata, Almería 😊👌 pic.twitter.com/m3pfvvyANH
— AMBIENTE EUROPEO (@ambienteeuropeo) April 15, 2020

There have been numerous reports all over Spain of sightings of wild animals becoming far more common in built-up areas during the coronavirus lockdown, with the empty streets and parks attracting inquisitive and hungry boar, deer, foxes and other species which normally live in rural areas, and it appears that the reduction of human activity at sea is also having a similar effect along the Mediterranean coastline.Click to read the full artice which also includes two videos.

Tourism

Travel industry faces severe criticism as passengers are offered vouchers instead of refunds.

One of the most commented aspects of the lockdown this week has been the topic of refunds, Ryanair in particular, being given a roasting by readers angry that they are being offered vouchers instead of refunds for their cancelled flights.

It is no secret that many airlines and travel providers are facing financial difficulties due to a virtual worldwide paralysis of travel and one of the easiest ways of keeping funding costs down to maintain liquidity is to not refund money paid in advance for flight bookings, ferry crossings and holidays, passengers effectively financing airlines, ferries and travel companies instead of the banks.

This week social media has been awash with complaints as passengers battle to try and claim a refund, some readers of the opinion that the airlines should be supported by accepting a voucher to ensure they survive and continue to offer a vital service after the crisis but others angry that their own financial difficulties are not being protected by legislation set up to do precisely that. Click to read the full report which also explains the application of the EU consumer protection legislation.

Tourism in Spain counts the cost as the coronavirus threatens the whole of 2020

Last Friday Yolanda Díaz, the Minister for Work, caused widespread alarm after she indicated that tourism and leisure and cultural activities will not resume before the end of the year.

Sra Díaz was obliged to retract her statement just a couple of hours later, recognizing that such decisions are the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, but by that time the damage had been done and representatives of the sector were up in arms and demanding compensation for the prolonged closure of their businesses.

When the hostelry sector is added to tourism the two account for around 20 per cent of Spain’s GDP, and at present this year’s losses are estimated at between 90 and 120 billion euros in tourism and 55 billion euros in hostelries.

At present all hotels, bars and restaurants are closed and the lockdown restrictions mean that even domestic travel is almost completely banned, although it is beginning to appear that the de-escalation of these restrictions could begin soon. With over almost three million people employed in the tourism sector, though, there are fears that all of those jobs could be at risk if the shutdown continues for much longer.

The implications for tourism are widespread, affecting flights, hotels, rentals, restaurants, companies working in leisure, sporting and cultural activities associated with tourism, and many thousands of ancillary businesses, with hundreds of thousands of jobs at risk and although the Minister retracted her statement, the questions remain about when the tourism sector will be able to resume its activities and how many will be left standing. Click to read the full article

Lorca reports 30 per cent drop in air pollution during the coronavirus lockdown: Click to read the full article

Torre Pacheco man arrested after breaking lockdown restrictions 7 times: Click to read full article

Alhama lockdown breaker arrested after attacking police officers; Click for full story

The woman is a repeat offender who broke an arresting officer’s finger

Since the lockdown began six weeks ago a total of 15 people have been arrested in Alhama and a further 500 reported. One man was held in preventative custody after repeatedly refusing to remain in his home and spitting at other people in the street, and other instances of similar behaviour have resulted in 10 people being arrested elsewhere in the Region of Murcia.

Breaking lockdown is an offence, not a crime!

However, as the arrested begin to make appearances before judges and magistrates throughout the Region and elsewhere in Spain, it is reported that many of the cases are being thrown out of court on the grounds that breaking the lockdown order without justification is, technically speaking, not a “crime” but an “offence”.

This is held to be the situation even in the case of repeat offenders, unless they are also guilty of resisting arrest or directly disobeying the forces of the law or other authorities. In consequence their offences ought to be dealt with by the relevant public administration body rather than in a court of law, as the mere fact of being out in public without justification does not constitute a crime.

However, among the “aggravating circumstances” which could lead to lockdown-breaking being a more serious offence are the fact of being infected with the coronavirus or boasting about having flouted the emergency regulations (for example on social network sites), as well as resisting arrest or failing to obey a direct order issued by a police officer.

In short, it would seem that the hastily drawn-up legislation introduced by the Spanish government on 14th March has some minor loopholes in this respect, but nonetheless the message remains absolutely clear: LOCKDOWN MEANS LOCKDOWN!!!!

Mystery donor gives 1 million euros to university coronavirus fund in Castilla-La Mancha.The female donor made her donation out of “gratitude to Spain”

Castilla-La Mancha is one of the regions of Spain which have been hardest hit by the pandemic, with a rate of 528 active cases per 100,000 inhabitants on Tuesday, the highest in the country ahead of La Rioja (506) and Navarra (488). Click for the full story

It's been an intense week, with a relentless flow of information, and as we head into the seventh week of lockdown all eyes will be hoping for a little positive news, although the news this afternoon that the number of recoveries is finally greater than the number of new cases in Spain goes a long way towards raising hopes for the coming week. Apologies for the length of the text and thank you for your continued support.

Stay safe!!!!