Unlocking the lockdown

[BeachLife]

Just seen this - the sources are at the bottom:

♦️ DEESCALATION FASES SPAIN #COVID19

🔹 FASE 0 (4th of May)
Preparation for opening small businesses, food delivery...

🔹 FASE 1 (11th of May)
Opening of small commercials, terraces open with 33% capacity, tourist accommodation with restricciones - there will be preferential times for those of 65 for their safety.

🔹 FASE 2 (25th of May)
Fishing and hunting will be allowed, opening of inside space for bars and restaurants, cinemas, theatres etc with a capacity of 33%

🔹 FASE 3 (8th of June)
Flexibility of freedom of movement. Commercial centres and shops with an increased capacity of 50%. Restaurants and bars will increase the capacity.

🔹 FASE 4 (22nd of June)
New normality starts.

🔸 The Canary and Balearic Islands will start the 1st fase on the 4th of May.

🔸 There will be a minimum of 2 weeks per fase but each fase can be extended to 6 weeks depending on the situation in each area therefore the dates above are just a guideline providing things go well.

🔸 This is the proposal of the government today 28th of April. This has been a brief summary presentation. We will publish all the official and detailed information published in BOE as soon as they do.

▪️ SOURCE “EL MUNDO”
👉 https://www.google.es/amp/s/amp.elmundo.es/ciencia-y-salud/salud/2020/04/28/5ea7d45efdddff382a8b462b.html

▪️ SOURCE “ LA SEXTA”
👉 https://www.google.es/amp/s/amp.lasexta.com/noticias/nacional/coronavirus-espana-ultima-hora-fallecidos-nuevos-casos-directo_202004285ea7bc9d3b1d860001d36ef5.html

[Blue and white stripes]

Good news and something which seems official for a change. Something similar was posted last night on the GA facebook page.

[John H]

I've got to say you have to applaud Spain on the action they have taken to date, I wish the UK had taken similar action, however I'm not very optomistic as to what will happen going forward.

According to the World Health Assembly we have only eradicated one virus, smallpox.

We have been searching for a vaccine for HIV for over TWENTY YEARS, without success.........

Sorry to puy a dampener on things.....when we were growing up most stories ended with "they all lived happily ever after'......but thats not real life.

Regards all

John

[Derek]

On a positive note John  when I was a kid Polio caused many youngsters to be crippled  for life which is not the case today. Freddy Mercury died of Aids some 29 years ago  but today people live with HIV.

The black plague is certainly not still killing people in London. There are many illnesses that were once life threatening but today people are not killed by such.

It is amazing what the Drug companies do for mankind and it is certainly amazing what our own NHS service does. Even whilst some were criticising the NHS the year before last I personally experienced the speed and care they give when one is in their greatest need. They saved my life and the Surgeon put his hand on my shoulder wished me will and said job done. 

Let us all hope and for those that are religious to pray that even if this virus cannot be eradicated people will be able to recover from it.

Derek

[John H]

tHi Derek, I'm generally an optomistic type of guy and take a rather blasé approach to life and events.........the events of the last few weeks have changed this.

The keep safe mode has definately kicked in, since the precautions started, I hate the phrase "lock down", I've been to the supermarket three times, on an evening when there's more chance of being able to maintain social distancing, been to the pharmacy once....I waited outside until no one was in there.....and apart from walks up the Lane from home, a couple of miles to a farm house where the road ends  and you never see a soul, thats been it.
I didnt even attend my sister in laws cremation service today.

My frustration is the talk of "easing the lockdown".

I read something the other day that summed it up perfectly; "the curve is flattening, we can start lifting restrictions now" = "the parachute has slowed our rate of descent, we can take it off now"

I do believe, taking a rather pessimistic approach, that a return to "normality" will be driven more by the economical reasons than the safety of the individual.

I pray that you are spot on Derek and that the drug companies can find a vaccine that can give us immunisation or greatly reduce the effects of this virus and life can return to normal.....although I would guess with a different set of values, the last few weeks ahve made us realise what's important.

Belated birthday wishes for last week by the way.

Regards all

John

[Derek]

A good balanced answer John and thanks for the birthday wishes.

I expect most people are so worried, as I am, about how and when life will return to normal.

Derek

[BeachLife]

Not the best news from Spain (source is ABC online) - Its a Google translate so apologies for grammar. I have no idea of what the tourism industry is exactly to Spain's GDP but I read a couple of years ago it was between 12 and 15%.

ADDED: In 2016, the tourism sector made a total contribution of around 159 billion euros to GDP in Spain and added a total of around 2.65 million jobs.

Thats gonna hurt - the knock on effect when the Germans refuse a EU bailout will be interesting

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The Government expects that the closure of borders will last until October.  In an "indicative" schedule, the Executive contemplates that the restrictions to the mobility of people remain until well into the autumn

The restrictions on the arrival of international tourists to Spain will last until October. It is the forecast handled by the Government, which yesterday approved in the Council of Ministers a calendar that maintains restrictions on mobility and the closure of borders until well into autumn.

This calendar was reflected in a "guideline" schedule that is not "exhaustive". "The decisions and specific dates on the effective lifting of any limitation established during the state of alarm will be determined through the corresponding legal instruments," explains the document, signed by the Ministry of Health.

The Executive also clarifies that the lifting will have different evolution "if everything evolves favorably against scenarios with outbreaks of different severity that could lengthen the process."

As ABC announced, the Government was already working in early April with a plan that contemplated a summer without foreign tourism, with the borders closed in that case. A two-way measure, both for inputs and outputs. In other words, the Spaniards come to the idea that in the summer period, no one will leave the national territory, unless a specific health certificate recommends it.

The tourism sector has begun to assume that the arrival of foreign visitors this summer will be impossible. This Tuesday, Iberia's proprietary holding company, IAG, said in a statement sent to the CNMV that it expected the crisis to last for years. And in the Sepla pilots union they contemplate that the flights do not recover the pre-crisis levels until 2023

[chris and jackie]

If true I would expect massive permanent job losses across Spain including the airlines etc. in addition a lot of community fees won't be paid by owners who can't visit.
SPain will be in recession for many years to come.

[gaveteran]

"A lot of community fees won't be paid by owners who can't visit." - Not since the start of this crisis have I actually shed a tear, but that is just so selfish and frustrating that I gave up. What animals we are.

[chris and jackie]

Worded response wrong, meant to say a lot of owners who rent out to get income to cover community fess, rates etc probably won't or can't pay bills. I will be paying mine!

Still consider there will be massive job losses if border remains closed for 2020.

[Spurs]

Looking at the annual minutes of our community a lot of  owners have not paid their community fees for many months before the pandemic. Spain will survive like the uk will survive. If it’s October then so be it . If I can’t come over till Christmas then that’s ok it’s only a holiday home in the overall scheme it’s not that important  all that matters really is we follow the guidelines stay safe and beat this and stop the horrific daily death toll
After that is done then people can start looking at everything thing else , holidays jobs etc must come second

[chris and jackie]

I think all Governments are grappling with issue of when/how to ease lockdowns as they have to get economies moving again as the long term issues may be worse than the virus e.g. No money for health services, mass unemployment , mental health and abuse issues.

It needs to be balanced carefully and hopefully U.K. Will ease restrictions from next week.

[John H]

670 deaths yesterday and 4000 new cases and you talk of easing the lockdown next week!!

I don't think I'm in the same world as some folk.

[chris and jackie]

John, appreciate your family has had some tragic news but personally I would be happy to see lockdown measures eased as infection rate is falling.

ITs the older population who are most at risk who want the lockdown to carry on but if course they are also mainly those who have secure retirement incomes, houses, comfortable lifestyle. The younger population who have minimal risk are the ones suffering most as they need the income to pay rent, mortgages etc and the country needs their tax contributions to survive.

[Spurs]

Can’t see it guys sorry I think we are ages away from lifting it and letting people return to work now is the time to sit tight hold the gains and plan for the next steps not lift the lockdown . I think we will be in lockdown until June at least , we cannot afford to get a second spike and allowing people out now will cause that .