REGION OF MURCIA, REGION OF MURCIA NEWS

From Monday 23rd PCR test for all travellers to Spain from risk countries is mandatory No PCR test is required for those arriving by road or rail From this Monday, international travellers arriving in Spain via air and sea from an area considered "at risk" must present a negative PCR, carried out within 72 hours prior to.. 23/11/2020

Only 81 new cases of covid in Murcia Region on Monday 23rd November The level of active cases has dropped to under 9,000 as the number of recoveries exceeds the number of new cases Last week the Murcia Region reported almost half the number of cases of the previous week and the figures for Monday are once again.. 23/11/2020

Bars and restaurants in 17 additional municipalities can open from Wednesday Cartagena, Ricote, Beniel, Lorquí, Pliego, Santomera, Abarán, Águilas, Ulea and Ojós can now occupy terraces areas to 100% As promised, the regional Covid Monitoring Committee met on Monday to analyse the latest coronavirus.. 23/11/2020

Covid hospital numbers drop over the weekend in Murcia region to below 500 The number of active cases has fallen below 10,000 for the first time in a month this weekend On Sunday the total numbers of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 in the Region of Murcia dropped below the 500 mark for the first time since October.. 23/11/2020

Delivery truck on fire in Cabo de Palos rapidly extinguished Fortunately nobody was injured when a delivery truck caught fire in the middle of the road on the T-312-2 crossing, in the area of the dunes of Cabo de Palos in the municipality of Cartagena on Friday lunchtime. The 1-1-2 Emergency Coordination Center.. 20/11/2020

13 deaths and 264 new cases; Murcia Region coronavirus Friday 20th This is the lowest daily figure for over two months The number of new coronavirus cases has continued to fall all week in the Murcia Region as the effects of the restrictions imposed on the hostelry sector two weeks ago and other measures implemented.. 20/11/2020

Murcia Region extends closure of borders until December 9th This affects both external regional borders and internal municipal borders On Thursday 18th November the Murcian regional government announced that both external regional borders as well as internal municipal borders would remain closed until after.. 19/11/2020

Bars and restaurants in some areas of the Murcia Region can re-open on Saturday The situation will be assessed every Monday The current closure order will remain in place in 35 of the 45 municipalities in the region on Saturday. After a week of intense speculation about whether the Murcian regional health service would.. 19/11/2020

10 deaths and 455 new Covid-19 cases; region of Murcia Thursday 19th The region appears to be slowly stabilizing due to the restrictive measures in force On October 28th measures were brought in closing the external regional and internal municipal borders of the region and were extended for a further 14 days on November.. 19/11/2020

Spanish Prime Minister sends personal letter to young man who suffered homophobic attack The young man concerned lives in Cartagena The President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, has sent a letter of support to an 11-year-old student who denounced an alleged homophobic attack in the vicinity of the Isaac Peral Institute.. 19/11/2020

Number of new covid-19 cases continues to slow down in Murcia Region on Wednesday Fatalities remain high; eight patients have died within the last 24 hours Although it’s too early to say without any doubt that the coronavirus situation in the Murcia Region has started to stabilise, the figures published on Wednesday continue.. 18/11/2020

National food bank appeal in supermarkets this week This year the appeal also offers the facility to donate online or make a cash donation at the tills in supermarkets Every day, 1.8 million people receive help from one of the 54 food banks in Spain, most of them using the network of 8,053 charities.. 18/11/2020

Nine irregular migrants reach Calblanque by small boat from African coast The boat arrived on the beach of Puntas de Calnegre undetected Image: Archive. Cruz Roja in Escombreras The Guardia Civíl has detained nine irregular migrants who arrived by sea in a small boat (patera) from the African coast and landed.. 17/11/2020

Murcia passes 500 covid deaths but case numbers appear to be stabilising The number of PCR tests remains considerably lower than last week The regional health service has published its daily figures relating to the ongoing evolution of the coronavirus in the Region of Murcia for Tuesday 17th November, with a mixture.. 17/11/2020

How liable is your area of the Costa Cálida to flooding? An online tool shows the "floodability" of the entire Segura basin in detail As the threat of torrential storms looms large in the Region of Murcia, with a red alert for possible downpours in place on 12th and 13th September and authorities..

The climate emergency is making intense torrential storms more frequent in Murcia Image: cars washed into the Mar Menor during the storm of September 2019 Aemet warn that events like Storm Gloria are becoming less exceptional Following the third instance of widespread flooding the Region of Murcia in just over four months.. 17/11/2020

Hopes of covid stabilisation grow in Murcia with large drop in new casesAlthough Monday is generally a “low” day, this is the lowest figure for some weeks Accumulated incidence rate showing the worst affected municipalities. Figures quoted are the rate per 100,000 of popualtion. All of those desperate.. 16/11/2020

14 deaths, but lower number of covid cases in Murcia on Sunday Only 428 new cases were reported on Sunday The number of new covid cases reported on Sunday was considerably lower than last week, with just 428 new cases in the 24 hour period between midnight on Friday and midnight on Saturday (figures always.. 16/11/2020

Spike in Murcia ERTE furlough scheme applications following bar and restaurant closures250 new applications between Monday and Wednesday this week and many more expected to follow One inevitable consequence of the decision to close down all bars and restaurants in the Region of Murcia in an attempt to halt the spread of the second wave.. 13/11/2020

Spain confident of being ready to store coronavirus vaccines at -70ºC Yesterday the WHO warned that some countries would be unable to handle the Pfizer vaccine, not having adequate facilities for the low temperatures required to safety store it The initial euphoria surrounding the announcement of the latest progress.. 13/11/2020

Murcia property market showed signs of a bounceback before the second wave of CovidSeptember sales figures were higher in the Costa Cálida than in the same month last year It goes without saying that the statistics relating to the residential property markets in Murcia and in Spain as a whole this year have been distorted.. 13/11/2020

Murcian young loggerhead turtles tracked to African and Balearic coastlines Some of the 21 young turtles released managed to cover 300 kilometres in their first two days of freedom It is now a month since twenty-one 12-month-old loggerhead turtles were released into the Mediterranean at one of the beaches of Calblanque.. 13/11/2020

Corvera airport deserted; in October the airport lost 9 out of 10 passengers The airport reported a fall of -89.9% in passenger numbers during October when compared to last year It’s been a brutal year for the air travel sector and one of the easiest ways to appreciate the scale of the downturn in travel activity is.. 13/11/2020

3,000 to 10,000 euros in compensation for bars and restaurants forced to close in Murcia Region Elements of the sector continues to protest about the “crumbs” of support being given A good deal of prominence has been given in the Murcia news over the last few days to the enforced closure of bars and restaurants throughout the Region.. 12/11/2020

11 tons of fresh veg for Murcian regional food bank after drugs are found in transport lorry Marijuana and hashish were found concealed among crates of tomatoes and courgettes 11 tons of fresh vegetables have been added to the produce distributed by the Region of Murcia’s food bank in La Palma, one of the rural outlying districts.. 12/11/2020

Murcia regional president wants army and more police to enforce border restrictions It’s an open secret that local police are finding it impossible to monitor local borders The President of the Murcian regional Government, Fernando López Miras, has called for more resources to help the regional government enforce the.. 11/11/2020

Environmental timebomb; disposable masks can take up to 400 years to decomposeUp to 700 million disposable masks could be used in Spain every month!!!! Every month some 129,000 million disposable masks are now being consumed in the world due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, a mindboggling amount of potential rubbish.. 06/11/2020

Murcia scientists test Covid traps for early detection of the virus in public spaces Testing in a Murcia hospital demonstrates the risk of airborne transmission As scientists continue to learn more about the importance of aerosols (the minute particles we exhale when breathing) in the transmission of the Covid-19 virus a team from.. 05/11/2020

Coronavirus vaccine for Spain expected to be widely available by next MarchAstraZeneca forecast a “horrific” winter but a return to relative normality by next summer The latest news from AstraZeneca, the UK-based company whose coronavirus vaccine is currently in an advanced stage of testing, is that the product.. 05/11/2020

Outrage among customers as Spanish banks increase bank charges BBVA, Santander and CaixaBank charge customers for withdrawals at manned cash desks There has been considerable concern among members of the public in Spain recently (and in the community of foreign residents!) over increases in charges which are.. 29/10/2020

Murcia Region closes external borders and stops movement between municipalities Residents will only be permitted to move between municipalities for essential reasons The Murcian Regional Government has taken the decisión to confine the Region of Murcia and close not only the external, but also the internal borders of.. 28/10/2020

Falls in Spanish property prices and rentals could be more significant than originally forecast due to covidThe pandemic is expected to cause a domino effect on commercial property in city centres All over Spain the seriousness of the second wave of the coronavirus pandemic is becoming more and more apparent as the autumn goes on, and although the first.. 27/10/2020

Additional measures and restrictions for the Murcia Region during the state of alert Exceptional measures to be applied in the Region Murcia due to the increase in coronavirus infections. On Sunday Spain decreed the second state of alarm/emergency of the coronavirus pandemic, granting wide-ranging powers to the autonomous regions.. 26/10/2020

Spraying against the processionary caterpillar begins early in north-west Murcia this year Mula has begun spraying already due to the unusually warm autumn weather Spraying against the processionary caterpillar has begun early in the north-west of the Murcia Region this year, the unusually warm autumn weather likely to bring increased.. 19/10/2020

Extension to off-plan claims deadline until December 26th Anyone who paid deposits for a Spanish property which was never built has a little longer in which to make a claim This week the deadline for those who were affected by the number of bankruptcies and frauds perpetrated during the Spanish property.. 10/10/2020

Masks must be worn in public areas when travelling to Spain A few helpful hints for visitors travelling to Spain this summer and concerned about Covid regulations here Updated 18th July due to changing info about masks. Although Spain is open for tourist visitors this summer, there is no escaping the.. 15/07/2020

Post office opening times limited to 3 hours in the morning throughout Spain Minimal services are being offered for the duration of the coronavirus crisis The 2,500 offices of Correos, the Spanish post office, are to open for only three hours a day and the number of staff on duty is to be reduced for as long as the coronavirus.. 20/03/2020

Spain approves 20 billion euro package of economic measures to prevent the destruction of employmentCredit is made available to businesses to improve liquidity and temporary redundancies are given greater flexibility The Spanish cabinet has approved a second package of economic measures designed to cushion the impact of coronavirus on the businesses.. 17/03/2020

URGENT APPEAL from Andreas Animal Rescue as coronacrisis deepens81 donkeys and 37 dogs need food now The media is full of news about how the coronacrisis is going to affect our bank balances, the long-term economic effects for business, how much our pensions are going to devalue, how many people will die, but.. 17/03/2020

ERTE temporary redundancy schemes and how they affect businesses and the workforce ERTEs are likely to affect millions of employees in Spain during a prolonged coronavirus crisis As it becomes ever clearer that the coronavirus crisis in Spain and the strict measures imposed by the national government to protect the population are.. 17/03/2020

Coronavirus case totals in Murcia and Spain - official measures in place to combat the epidemic The latest updates according to official sources throughout Spain NOTE: This page will be updated as new information becomes available The latest information regarding the number of coronavirus cases detected in Spain, the number of fatalities and..

Coronavirus, the facts – and a list of WHO myth-busters Recommended precautions to reduce the risk of infection include frequent hand washing but not the use of facemasks The Covid-19 coronavirus which is rapidly spreading from China, where the current outbreak began, to all parts of the world, and while.. 02/03/2020

Public and bank holidays in the Region of Murcia 2020 Check now to find the long weekends on the calendar for 2020! National, regional and local holidays in all 45 municipalities of the Region of Murcia Although the official list of public holidays seldom contains any surprises, it always arouses.. 08/01/2020

4,000 episodes of flooding on the east coast of Spain in the last 1,000 years Flooding has been exacerbated by the change in land use over the last millennium While it is important not to underestimate the intensity of the Gota Fría storm which has caused widespread flooding in Murcia and Alicante over the last few.. 17/09/2019

DGT road closures information pageUp to date information about major road incidents and closures across Spain Click for link A very useful information point for road users during major weather incidents is the Spanish Government DGT (Dirección General de Trá.. 13/09/2019

Ripped off?????How to complain about car hire companies via Spanish consumer complaints officesThe advice applies to all Spanish airports and any car hire company although the specific complaints we received related to Corvera airport in Murcia This summer has seen a large number of dissatisfied customers airing their views on social media.. 11/09/2019

Check you are on the Padrón and that you have renewed within the last 5 years as no-deal Brexit looks increasingly likely Padrón and voting rights for UK nationals will change significantly with Brexit This week developments in the UK could indicate that the country is heading for a no-deal Brexit, in which case all of us living and working in Spain will find.. 30/08/2019

Murcian Master Belenistas continue the tradition of centuries Manuel Nicolás Almansa, Juan Antonio Griñán Nicolas and Jesús Griñán Nicolás The Region of Murcia has been a focal point for artisan traditions for nearly four thousand years and was not only an important..

Wild tortoise ownership in Murcia and Spain: illegal but surprisingly commonHow to get back on the right side of the law if you own a tortoise in Murcia Many members of the public are unaware of the fact, but since 1st July 2015 it has officially been illegal in Spain to own a pet common or spur-thighed tortoise, despite the..

Discover the link between Corvera airport and a gastronomic speciality of San Javier! The rival airports are connected through one of the most illustrious families in the modern history of Murcia The 10th January 2018 marks the 95th anniversary of one of the major achievements of Juan de la Cierva y Codorniú, a Murcia-born.. 11/01/2018

Understanding water and the drought in Murcia and the Segura basinWhere our water comes from, what it is used for, and why there isn’t enough In late 2017 the Region of Murcia and the rest of the Segura basin are facing one of the most serious droughts in recent history, with water supplies to agriculture already.. 24/11/2017

Reminder: depositing rubbish in the bin before 9pm is illegal in many areas Bin abuse can lead to nasty fines It’s hot, it’s August and the higher temperatures inevitably lead to fresh fruit and veg going off quickly if damaged and the rubbish bins emitting an unpleasant odour. Year-round residents will be aware..

Brexit interview with the British Ambassador to Spain Simon Manley answers questions about how Brexit will affect British nationals with an interest in Spain During the latter part of the week, British Ambassador to Spain, Simon Manley, visited the Region of Murcia, taking time from his busy schedule.. 15/07/2016

Its a steal: how easily thieves can ruin your holiday Look after your passport – watch new videos that reveal the scams that thieves and pickpockets use With tens of thousands of British residents living in Spain, and millions of UK visitors heading for Spanish holiday resorts and beaches this summer.. 06/07/2015

Dog owners beware: stephanotis pods can kill dogs Urgent warning for dog owners Be aware that the seed pods of the Stephanotis plant, also known as Madagascar Jasmine, are lethal for dogs. This is a stunning plant with waxy green leaves and a beautiful white flower which gives off a gorgeous sweet.. 30/05/2015

Electronic prescriptions in the Region of Murcia Repeat prescriptions will no longer mean extra doctor’s appointments The health service of the Region of Murcia is introducing a new electronic prescription service which is designed to make the prescribing and dispensing of medication quicker.. 19/02/2015

Murcia desperate for blood donations: but they don´t want British blood It’s all down to  Mad Cow Disease The annual outbreak of flu has not only pressurized Accident and Emergency Services this last few weeks, but has also created a problem for the Region of Murcia blood banks, as many habitual donors have not.. 18/02/2015

Beware fraudsters. 8 things your bank will never ask you to do Fraud is on the increase, particularly on the internet so be aware of potential scams Fraud hurts and there’s nothing worse than being ripped off by an unscrupulous conman. Although the internet is one of the most useful tools for rapid communication.. 26/10/2014

Moving to Spain? Think about Healthcare! Plan your healthcare before moving to Spain Moving to Spain, even if for just a few years, is a major decision, one of the most important elements which needs to be considered being planning your healthcare cover. The Spanish healthcare service.. 10/10/2014

European Union rules that Spanish Inheritance Tax practices are illegal The European Court of Justice orders Spain to change inheritance tax laws The implications of this are huge for those who may already have paid inheritance tax at the “international rates”. Expats who have chosen to move to Spain are.. 05/09/2014

Holiday rentals: a target for the Spanish Inland RevenueAny expats living in Spain must also declare pensions as income even if they are below tax paying thresholds Tax inspections are targeting 27.696 Expat pensioners and former non-residents who have not declared income Buying a property for your own.. 08/07/2014

The cost of buying a house in Spain What are all the costs involved when purchasing a Spanish property If you’ve been wondering about buying a house in Spain, now is the time. There is plenty of property out there and it’s on the market at a very good price. Lots of foreigners.. 08/07/2014

British residents living in Spain must now make passport applications online The new process aims to minimise errors for those living here in Spain Passport applications for Britons resident overseas must now be made via the GOV.UK website All British residents living in Spain must now make their passport applications.. 12/02/2014

Energy efficiency saves moneyEnergy certificates are not just a piece of meaningless paper A study carried out by a company in Murcia has concluded that the benefits of living in a home with a top level energy performance certificate could equate to between 1,000 and 2,500 euros.. 06/02/2014

The Datura Stramonium is a dangerous plant The Datura stramonium or jimson weed grows throughout the Region of Murcia This week national Spanish TV carried a report about a plant which is worryingly common throughout the Region of Murcia, the Datura stramonium plant, also known as jimson weed, devils..