Something for the Weekend
Coronavirus – numbers rise again but trend is down
As widely expected, Spain recorded 743 coronavirus deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the latest Health Ministry figure, the first rise in daily deaths in four days. The number was expected given that there has been an underreporting of figures on Sundays and Mondays since the beginning…
Coronavirus – number falls again
We may be over the worst of it. Monday's Press Briefing in Madrid saw the lowest total of fatalities from coronavirus - 637 - since March 24. This follows 674 Covid-19-related deaths on Sunday, and 809 on Saturday. The steady decrease suggests that the confinement measures are finally having an effect on the number of victims. Dr María José Sierra from the Health Ministry’s Coordination…
Sunday Morning Mutterings – Lockdown and Out
So now we know that the the State of Emergency – or should I say Alarm, which is Level 1 – will continue to the end of the month. On the basis of the past two weeks I don’t know what Level 3 is but am pretty sure that resembles the game “Statues” from my 70s childhood. You have to stand frozen on the spot until the State of Emergency is lifted. Otherwise the forces of law and order have…
Coronavirus. The numbers drop but the state of alarm goes on
The Good News First - Spain has seen a drop in the number of people dying from COVID-19 for the second day in a row. The number of deaths related to coronavirus now stands at 11,744 - up from 10,935 the previous day. The 809 extra deaths in the last 24 hours was down from 932 on Friday, and the lowest number of daily deaths seen in seven days And now the Bad News Prime Minister Pedro…
Spanish authorities list accomodation options for stranded Brits
The Spanish authorities have published a list of hotels and short-stay accommodation that will remain open during the state of emergency. Whilst mainly intended for workers, they will also be available for tourists who have been unable to return home and include the BlueBay Banus in Marbella (pictured). British Ambassador Hugh Elliott said: “This is a very difficult time for British nationals who…
Sunday Morning Mutterings – Lockdown Lowdown
If you read my previous Sunday Morning Mutterings, you will remember, probably with a shudder, that in my (admittedly peculiar case) one of the side effects of the coronavirus outbreak has been the fact that I can’t get cheesy pop songs out my head. At the beginning of the outbreak it was ‘My Corona’ sung to the tune of ‘My Sharona’ by The Knack. And since the announcement of the…
Coronavirus upadate for British Tourists
The British Embassy has published a new video from British Ambassador Hugh Elliott aimed at British tourists in Spain. Some of the main points are Hotels: The Spanish Government has ordered that hotels and short-stay accommodation must close by midnight on 26 March. These instructions do not apply to long-stay accommodation where people can cater for themselves. The local authorities may ask…
PM convines COVID-19 group as over 3000 infected in 24 hours
Spanish PM Pedro Sánchez held the first meeting today with the Scientific Committee of COVID-19, a group of scientists and professionals dedicated to combat the coronavirus pandemic in Spain. Held by videoconference from Moncloa, the initial group of six scientists may be expanded with the incorporation of national and international experts in different fields of Medicine and Science in the…
Trafico gets tough
Expect to see more police traffic controls over the weekend. The DGT and Civil Guard have set up traffic checkpoints on major routes out of large cities to prevent weekend trips to second homes. There was widespread outcry when a large number of Madrid residents fled the capital, the area with the most conoravirus infections, to spend quarentine in their holiday homes. Since yesterday the Civil…
Hitmen in Marbella murder case arrested
A joint operation between National Police and the Amsterdam Police has resulted in the breakup one of the most active hitman gangs in Europe. The group was allegedly involved in ten murders, including Marbella businessman Marco Yaqout (below),who was gunned down in his car in the garage of his home in January 2019. Six people have been arrested, four in Spain and two in the Netherlands. Four…
Spain to close borders at midnight tonight
In a dramatic move in the ongoing coronavirus crisis, the Government has decreed the reestablishment of land border controls within the framework of the containment measures of COVID-19. This measure will take effect at 00:00 hours tonight and will continue for the duration of the state of alarm. The objective of this measure, like the other resolutions adopted under the Royal Decree of the State…
Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Spain
In the latest development in the coronavirus emergency in Spain, Britain's Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) this morning advised against all but essential travel to Spain. Spain declared a State of Emergency (“Estado de Alarma”) on 14 March, which introduces a series of measures including significant restrictions on movement throughout the country in response to the coronavirus…
BREAKING NEWS: Spain finally approves State of Alarm
Spain finally approved the State of Alarm decree on Saturday evening. After a seven-hour meeting with ministers, including vice president and UP leader Pablo Iglesias, who broke quarantine to attend, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced the following measures All state authorities at the disposal of the government. It will only be possible to circulate on the streets to buy food, go to…
BREAKING NEWS: Junta raises Coronavirus Alert to Level 2
In a dramatic move. Junta de Andalucia President Juanma Moreno, called the Crisis Cabinet this afternoon after activating the Andalusian Territorial Emergency Plan and raising the situation due to the coronavirus to a 'level 2' emergency. It is the first time that the Territorial Emergency Plan has been activated at 'level 2' and also that the Crisis Cabinet of the Junta de Andalucía has…
Anger grows against madrileños as Marbella prepares for Covid 19 crisis
Marbella Town Hall yesterday announced the cancellation of a series of events and the closure of municipal facilities in response to the continuing coronavirus crisis. Mayor Ángles Muñoz issued a statement on Friday that the Town Hall was closing Active Participation Centre for the Elderly, municipal nurseries, libraries, sports centres, gyms and swimming pools; postponing events, courses,…
Sunday Morning Mutterings – It’s all gone viral!
If you didn’t know, an earworm is the term for a song or, more annoyingly, single verse or line from a song, which somehow gets stuck in your subconscious and keeps repeating over and over again. In the past few days, I have been plagued by a persistent earworm featuring late 70s one-hit-wonders The Knack. But instead of playing the chorus to their sole success “My Sharona”, this particular…
Drug Lord Busted at Brothel
The alleged ringleader of a cocaine trafficking group that expected to bank more than £1 million every month has been arrested in Marbella after more than six years on the run. Dominic McInally, 29, from Formby, Merseyside, was arrested when officers from the Spanish National Police staged a late night raid on the Casa Masa 'alternative club' in Marbella's luxurious Naguelles area. McInally was…
Marbella Coronavirus latest. Two cases worked for Marbella bank, while international school takes measures.
Two of the three people reported to be Marbella's first coronavirus cases worked for the same bank The Junta de Andalucia issued a statement that the two men, aged 42 and 53, had attended a banking conference in Malaga at the end of January. One of the supporting events was a flamenco performance in Marbella, where it is believed that the two men came into contact with people visiting from…
BREAKING NEWS: Three coronavirus cases confirmed in Marbella
Coronavirus has reached Marbella. The Junta de Andalucia today confirmed three cases of the coronavirus Two of the victims are males of 42 and 52 years, while the third is an 81-year-old woman. Authorites reportedly believe the latter may have contracted the virus at a Flamenco performance in Marbella that was attended by a couple from Shanghai, while one of the men had contact with an Asian…
Malaga coronavirus cases cleared but 1,000 quarentined in Tenerife
Two people admitted to hospital in Malaga have tested negative for the Covid-19 coronavirus. In a statement issued by the hospital, they said the pair – who were in isolation since being admitted – did not have the virus, but that they did have a strain of flu. The news came on the same day that the Ministry of Health held a meeting to discuss the sudden increase in infections in northern Italy,…
Sunday morning mutterings – Freshening up for Feb
This February I decided that I had to tweak a few working habits. While most people complain that January in Spain drags on interminably, it’s one of my busiest times as I try and prepare for the year ahead. Don’t get me wrong - I’m not one of those “New Year, New Me” types - but the pressing combination of sorting various bits of paperwork out and some new projects on the horizon mean that I’m…