Tourism generates 12% of Spain’s GDP and supports 2.6 million jobs. In Spain’s Balearic and Canary Islands, however, the dependence on tourism jumps to over 30% of their economies.
Catalonia’s regional government has asked millions of people to “stay at home” as the area experienced a resurgence in coronavirus cases.
It is not a legal order, but instead a “strong recommendation” intended to control contagion and avoid a full-blown lockdown.
The authorities notified 1,300 new daily cases on Thursday, most of them in Barcelona and the metropolitan area.
Around four million people in the Barcelona metropolitan area have been requested to only leave home for essential reasons, with cinemas, theatres and nightclubs also closing.
Restaurants and bars are now limited to half capacity, a ban on visits to elderly people’s homes has been implemented.
The Catalan government also announced new social distancing measures for 15 days that will limit gatherings to 10 people.
The measures concern the city of Barcelona and its surrounding areas, towns and cities and will initially be in place for two weeks.
Until the measures are finalized, both city and regional authorities agree that the situation in the Catalan capital is worrying. “We have started to have cases in other neighborhoods of Barcelona that are further away from the outbreak zone,” said Jacobo Mendioroz, the head of the Covid-19 monitoring unit in Catalonia.
Israel
Israel has reimposed some lockdown measures following a vigorous second surge in the number of coronavirus infections, putting in place stringent weekend shutdowns in which shops, hairdressers and attractions will be closed.
Gyms and fitness studios will also be closed at all times, while restaurants, which opened again in May, will return to takeaways and deliveries only. All indoor gatherings of 10 or more people will be banned.
Tighter restrictions will also be introduced including the closure of stores, beauty salons, museums and tourist attractions on the weekends. Starting later this month, beaches will also be closed to the public on weekends, the government said.
“We are making every effort to avoid a general lockdown,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at a Thursday evening Cabinet meeting.
Spain was plunged into the so-called “new normality” on Sunday, after nearly 100 days under a state of alarm due to the coronavirus crisis. passengers on a hundred or so flights landed in Spain from Schengen-area countries, with a total of 225 routes restarting – a low number compared to a normal month of June.
Spain’s Minister of Health Salvador Illa said tourists will first have to fill in a form stating exactly where they will be staying for the duration of their trip and whether or not they have previously had coronavirus. Then they will also have their temperature taken at the airport and undergo a visual inspection. Illa said that if the passenger fails one of the three checks, they will be seen by a doctor.
“We want to make sure that we welcome visitors, but we want to do this in safety and security for them, as well as for the Spaniards,” says Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya.
Spanish officials are identifying locations where travelers “will be isolated and treated” should they require hospital treatment, according to González Laya.
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Masks are required in all indoor public areas at hotels. Guests get their temperatures taken before the enter hotels restaurants.
Gloves are mandatory each time a guest requests food from a buffet, where a worker serves them. Arrows have been put on the floor to map out one-way routes for guests to keep people from crossing paths as much as possible.
Government health workers make random calls to check on the tourists. If a guest has symptoms of the covid-19 virus — a cough or a fever — authorities say they will get them tested within 24 hours. Those with positive results will be isolated in apartments the government has rented for the summer season. A team of contact tracers, which has been bolstered by 150 new hires, will seek out any people who could have been infected.
Tourism generates 12% of Spain’s GDP and supports 2.6 million jobs. In Spain’s Balearic and Canary Islands, however, the dependence on tourism jumps to over 30% of their economies.