Things are getting really out of control here since the government removed the state of alarm on 8th May.
Hospital occupancy is still far from the levels reached in the last waves, but has already grown by 43% in the last week, and patients in intensive care (ICU) have increased by almost 17% in seven days.
Primary care is already becoming overwhelmed in many areas, and in Catalonia they are having to reduce testing of asymptomatic contacts due to pressure in health services.
Strict controls have been reintroduced in Valencia and Catalonia, and are being brought back in the Canaries.
But because there is no state of alarm, and, other than vaccination, no government plan to combat the rising numbers, each community has to seek the permission of the high court to reintroduce controls, and this is proving very difficult.
Andalucia just tried to close the perimeter of a municipality in Jaén but the court refused, and the same happened in Aragon - which has a Covid incidence of 1300 infections per 100,000 in the teen-to-20s population.
Health director Fernando Simon has warned that cases are continuing to rise and are now approaching community transmission levels among the under 30s, with 1 in 100 under 30s predicted to end up in hospital from Covid.
It is desperate. I cannot understand what the Spanish government are doing. We seem to be following Boris Johnson’s appalling UK model - let it rip through the population come what may.
I’m not calling for a return to full lockdown.
God knows I hated lockdown. I was lonely and isolated, and felt bored and trapped.
But why can’t they simply reintroduce basic safety measures on a national level - eg a limit (like Germany’s) of 10 for indoor gatherings and spaces ( the current limit is THREE HUNDRED!) and early closure of indoor nightlife?
Other than the UK, with its ridiculous “freedom day”, Spain is THE ONLY country with no restrictions at all (other than indoor masks).
What are they doing, playing with the lives of the population, and with the economy, which is so very dependent on foreign tourism?
In the hot weather here, many social activities can be carried out outdoors.
Why are they allowing crowded indoor bars, clubs, discos, parties, gigs etc to stay open till 2 and 3am, when Spain now has the worst infection rate in the EU?
This is trashing Spain’s international reputation and the resultant effect on foreign travel is going to devastate the Spanish economy, and the livelihood of all those - like myself - who work in tourism.
I used to have some faith in the Sanchez government. No longer.
I just can’t understand why they’re not doing anything to get things under control.