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Murcia Today Weekly Bulletin 17th July
Although a major effort has been made to try and find topics other than Covid-19 to write about this week, there's been no getting away from the subject due to growing concerns that Spain is not facing a second wave of cases in the autumn, but that it's already begun. While expat social media users have been arguing endlessly over whether it's possible to wear a mask and occasionally sip a cocktail whilst chatting to friends in a bar or wear a mask whilst watching children play in a swimming pool, outbreaks have been building up all over the country as region after region started to impose the obligatory use of a mask in public, implement local lockdowns, pass new laws to help them cope with the new cases and by Friday afternoon things had got so bad in Catalonia that the regional government asked 4 million people to stay at home and only go out for necessary shopping or to go to work. It's a sobering fact that on Friday we have four times the number of new cases when compared to Monday, although we're still a long way from the early days of the pandemic in terms of the number of active cases.
Covid Spain
Monday 164 new cases, 3 deaths.No breakdown data was published at the weekend, and officially the Ministry only notified the media of 164 cases in the 24 hour period but the overall total number of cases shown on Monday was 255,953 as opposed to 253,908 on Friday, so the actual increase over the weekend was 2,045 new cases, a significant increase.The Ministry notified 120 outbreaks.Click for Monday Covid Spain
It was also indicated that the profile of cases is changing, as undoubtedly many of the new outbreaks derive from groups of younger people meeting up in larger groups than is permitted for fiestas, drinking sessions or just to chat and socialise, “Weeks ago, most of the cases were older people. Now practically all the increases by age group affect people under 50 years of age" the Minister said. This became very important later in the week, as the UK media published video footage of drunken young Brits in the Balearic Islands jumping on a car, without masks and failing to socially distance and Spanish media published these same images, as well as others showing young Spaniards drinking in botellon parties in the same region.
Tuesday; 263 new cases. Click for Tuesday Covid Spain The virus transmission rate, which is calculated as infections per 100,000 inhabitants across the last 14 day period, stood at 14.79, but Aragon and Catalonia, which between them accounted for 65.8% of the new infections registered in Spain in the last week, recorded a rate of 51.92 and 48.44, respectively. The Catalan Government (Generalitat) had attempted to confine Lleida and Segrià, the worst affected areas, but was prevented from applying the ban by a judicial order; this was circumvented on Monday by the regional government passing a resolution to apply restrictive measures in the area. This was the first such move by a regional government as until the state of emergency was lifted, only the state had the power to impose these restrictions. Regional governments are being left to manage these decisions at a local level and this first move was followed later in the week by others.
Wednesday: 390 new cases. Click Wednesday Covid Spain
By Wednesday the Government on the Balearic Islands had seen enough of the negative press coverage caused by the bad behaviour of tourists, as well as the scathing condemnations of nationals from not only the UK, but also Spain and decided to close the main tourist streets in which the videos had been taken at the weekend and impose restrictions on the size of glasses in which drinks were served, remove bar stools and chairs to force customers to sit properly at tables and increase inspections on bars, putting more onus on them to make sure their clients abided by the rules. “If tourists are not prepared to obey these rules then we ask them not to come to our islands. We don’t want uncivil holidaymakers here. We passed an ‘anti-trash tourism’ decree at the start of the year to tell them not to come and not to misbehave, ” said the Minister for Tourism, reminding both bars and tourists of the scale of fines which could be imposed. On Thursday they announced the closure of further streets in the key tourist areas. Click here to read the whole story
Thursday: 580 new cases, Click Thursday Covid Spain. 70% of the new cases were in Aragón and Catalonia, the highest number of new infections since Sunday, May 10th and seven times more new cases than were reported on Thursday, June 18th, exactly four weeks ago.The total number of outbreaks in Spain on Thursday had risen to 224 and the average age of patients has fallen again, from 62 years at the peak of the pandemic to 46 in men and 50 in women due to the large number of cases amongst the younger population.
On Thursday King Felipe VI and his family lead the proceedings in a homage to the Coronavirus dead attended by all of the presidents of the regional governments, representatives from the WHO and other dignitaries.
The King made special mention of the thousands of elderly who have died during the outbreak, saying that “They changed the course of our history, affirmed freedom and tolerance and built the day to day of our democratic co-existence "
Although the event was obviously sombre and dignified, one moment from the proceedings has received the widest coverage amongst the Spanish media; the moment after the King had sat down following his discourse when the Princess Leonor (heiress to the throne) whispered in her father’s ear that he had forgotten to put his mask back on. Social media users applauded her gesture as being responsible and positive, showing a social conscience very welcome as the country struggles to combat the rising wave of new cases, largely spread by the younger members of the population.
Three irregular migrants detained after kayaking across the Gibraltar Straits from the African Continent: Click to read
Spain has 37 mink farms; 31 in Galicia, one in Aragón(the subject of this article), one in the Basque Country; three in Castilla y León and one in Valencia, producing 750,000 pelts a year.
This week a very interesting topic surfaced, that of the potential jumping of the Covid virus between mink and humans and although this story has been widely reported and covered in both Denmark and Holland where the same situation has occurred, this is the first time it has surfaced in Spain.
The possibility that the virus may be able to jump species between humans and minks was first raised in the Netherlands, the fourth largest producer of mink pelts after China, Denmark and Poland, during May, when the Dutch Government found strong similarities between the virus in a furfarm worker and in the minks on the farm, “Based on this comparison and the position of that form of the virus in the family tree, the researchers concluded that it is likely that one staff member at an infected farm has been infected by mink,” the Dutch government said in statement.
The Netherlands has nearly 130 mink farms and has slaughtered nearly a million animals since the Covid pandemic began.
The document establishes an agreement of co-ordination between the autonomous regions, an example being events such as the Noche de San Juan; should an event such as this be something that takes place in more than one region, or crosses into another region, the governments can agree to either unanimously suspend the event or agree on a set of rules which will apply to all to ensure a co-ordinated response nationwide (and stop revellers crossing borders).Many of the current outbreaks are believed to have originated in gatherings on the Noche de san Juan.
The text also establishes that each region must be able to guarantee sufficient resources, human as well as material, guarantee the efficient management of information reporting and gathering, maintain laboratory capacity to cope with early testing in the eventuality that demand rise quickly, prepare the resources to track and trace potential cases in the eventuality of an outbreak, acquire sufficient materials to support an outbreak, maintain a capacity for intensive care beds, prepare emergency staffing plans, and logistical plans for all aspects of managing a significant rise in the number of cases and other similar measures.
All regions must be able to guarantee 8 weeks reserve of critical products associated with Covid and the national reserve will also be increased to give additional back-up for critical materials.
It is also deemed important this year to bring forward the annual flu campaign and ensure a wide coverage of vulnerable groups earlier than normal, particularly amongst the elderly and health personnel. Click for full article
These areas have effectively returned to phase 2, as the Generalitat has prohibited gatherings of more than 10 people, and stopped cultural and leisure activities, with the agreement of the judiciary.
Aragon and Catalonia account for 60% of the country's positives on Friday, the major foci in Huesca and Zaragoza capital, in Aragón and the area of Segrià and the metropolitan area of Barcelona, on the other.
Four other regions have reported more than thirty positives in 24 hours: Madrid with 40, Andalusia with 39, Basque Country with 39 and Navarra with 34.
Covid Murcia
Monday 100 active cases; Use of masks becomes compulsory. Click for Monday
Tuesday 88 active cases, and five new positives; Click for Tuesday
Wednesday 94 active cases
Thursday: Active cases in Murcia fell to 88 on Thursday, 14 recoveries driving down the active numbers in spite of there being 8 new positive diagnoses.Click for Thursday Covid info.
Murcia region approves fines structure for non-compliance with Covid measures:Not wearing a mask; breaching a quarantine order; organising an illegal gathering which attracts a large crowd of people are all subject to fines under the new decree. On Thursday the regional government passed a decree establishing the sanctions which can be applied against individuals for such actions and businesses who fail to either implement the restrictions or actively flout the laws. Sanctions range from 100 euros for incorrect or non-use of a face mask to up to 600,000 for organising a gathering for financial gain which could put large numbers at risk (ie a rave).
The purpose of the Decree Law is to adopt measures that allow the Administration to deal quickly and effectively with the resolution of the sanctioning procedures that are initiated for non-compliance with the current restrictions. This resolution classifies the faults as minor, serious and very serious, depending on the conduct and the exposure to the health risk that it entails.
The regional government has also requested this week that the national government create specific legislation for those breaching Covid quarantine. Click to read. Although the regional legislation does give the regional government powers to deal with this problem at a regional level, the government still believes national legislation should be created.When the state of emergency was in place, the state had the extraordinary power to apply sanctions, but now that control has gone back to the regional governments, it is down to each of the 17 communities to find their own way of dealing with this situation locally, which is not ideal.
Last week 40 Covid-positive patients were reported by the regional health authority for breaching the 14 day quarantine, creating potential situations in which other members of the public could be contaminated.
The Murcian government wants to see a clear legislative path which can be applied, making breach of quarantine a specific legal offence and with a clear definition of the sanctions which can be applied for such an offense, as is the case for failure to wear a mask in a public place for which 100 euros is the national on-spot penalty.
One of the new cases is the diagnosis of a 20 year old employee of a fruit processing plant in Abarán which has been followed by the quarantining of a further 25 employees of the company.
14 of the new cases are reported to be related to the “Bolivian outbreak” which originated with three Bolivian nationals who returned from the country to their home in the Murcia region on June 3rd, bringing the virus with them and are now responsible for 79 positive cases as well as the quarantining of more than 150 people.
The regional Health Ministry has today applied its new special powers and ordered the closure of four night clubs in which the three Bolivians are known to have drunk between the 4th and 11th June, even when it was suspected that they were positive.
Masks
On Monday the use of a face mask in public became mandatory in the Region of Murcia. In theory it's very straightforward; outside of the house it's obligatory to wear a mask other than for exercising, swimming in pools and in the sea, when eating and drinking and if excluded from the measures by being under 6 or suffering from a chronic medical condition which impedes breathing.
But the whole week has been one of intense conversation on social media as expat visitors in particular struggle to comprehend what this actually means, and hundreds of conversations on social media have argued incessantly about how it is possible to wear a mask when in the bar and having to remove it to eat or drink then put back on again and why a mask should be worn when walking the dog but not for jogging. The matter has been partially clarified by the regional government defining its fines structure, so all those who are finding it so difficult to clarify whether they should or shouldn´t wear a mask when walking the dog will be assisted next week when they receive a 100 euro fine for non-compliance if they are too confused to wear their mask when outdoors.
In short, the regional premier explained that when sitting in a bar, clients and waiters are at risk from close contacts so a mask should be worn. If the client wishes to sip a drink in-between chatting to friends then the mask should be removed in order to do so and then put back on again. It is not necessary to put a mask on and take it off between every mouthful for those eating a meal; the aim of a mask is to protect those in the bar from contagion in a close contact environment.
We have produced ample information explaining the whole subject of masks in excruciating detail in this article which also contains useful information for those visiting Spain who are unaware of the situation here. Click to read the article
As the week wore on, many other regions of Spain have adoted the same measure(these are listed in the article above) and there are now very few areas of the country where wearing a mask when in public is not obligatory.
As mentioned above, the regional government will be issuing fines of 100 euros for those not wearing a mask and bars, restaurants and businesses are also obliged to ensure that their clients are informed about the law and make every effort to ensure their clients comply with the law
Torre Pacheco distributes 3,000 free masks made by volunteers: Click here to read
73 per cent of Spaniards in favour of fining for not wearing a mask outdoors: Only 22% think the population in Spain can be trusted to do the right thing without legal measures.
The Centre for Sociological Research (CIS), produces regular surveys exploring the attitude of the native population towards a wide range of topics and always throws up some interesting observations; 73.1% of Spaniards for example, believe that measures such as sanctions and fines are necessary to ensure that the population complies with the rules designed to fight coronavirus, such as the use of masks in public spaces or observing social distancing and only 22.4% think that trusting the population to make the right decision for themselves is a good idea.
Another question asked in the survey related to the measures being taken to combat the virus and in their responses 62.3 percent of Spaniards felt that more demanding measures than the current ones should be taken to combat the expansion of the coronavirus, compared to 32% who claim to be satisfied with the situation as it is.
Spanish consumers organisation says supermarket face masks offer very good filtration:Click for full original article
Masks have become the topic of obsession in Spain during recent weeks and now that it is obligatory to wear a mask in public, purchasing masks has become an additional expense for daily living, and they’re not cheap!During the first lockdown phase of the pandemic we were all obliged to buy from pharmacies, often paying 4-5 euros for a single mask, but now masks are widely available in supermarkets (thank goodness!).
But are they any good?
A study published this week by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU), says yes they are, and says that most supermarket single-use surgical and hygienic masks have very good filtration efficiencies, exceeding 95%, and some of them even exceed 98% filtration.
The organization has taken samples from models on sale in large supermarket chains in order to verify their real filtration efficiency and compare the general quality of the cheapest masks, both hygienic and surgical models.
The study concludes that almost all the single-use masks share a very good filtration efficiency (greater than 95%), are relatively comfortable, resistant and have a similar price, which is around 0.60 euros per unit.
Four of them even exceed 98% filtration, which are those marketed by Mercadona, Día, Lidl and Aldi and don´t cost any more than their rival brands!
Other news:
Archaeologists from Barcelona consolidate Argaric La Bastida site in Totana: Click to read
This weekend and throughout the summer the site can be visited with a guide:
Minor earthquake felt in Águilas: Click to read
Operation Drantic turns up marijuana plantation in Totana antiques warehouse:
Another marijuana plantation has been found, this time in the warehouse of a Totana-based antiques warehouse on the El Saladar Industrial park in Totana, the strong smell of ripe marijuana a dead give-away of the illicit activity being undertaken by the enterprising antique dealer during lockdown.
A member of the public is said to have alerted the forces of law and order to an odour which was overpowering the characteristic smell of musty furniture normally associated with such establishments.
“Discreet vigilance” soon established that the unit had tapped into an electricity line to draw off illegal electricity, had equipment installed typically used for indoor drug cultivation and emitted a characteristically strong smell.
Paying the owner a visit complete with warrant for operation Drantic (pronounced dran-tique), police found all the equipment as suspected and 19 kilos of ripe marijuana in black bin bags stuffed inside some of the furniture in the warehouse.
The 60 year old Totana resident now has an appointment with the Totana courts
Macro operation against traffickers who built high speed narco boats to transport drugs: this could almost be a Hollywood script!
The macro-operation began last February, when the Alicante Civil Guard Maritime Service found an unmanned high-speed boat sailing adrift, having apparently been abandoned whilst in international waters, all indicators being that it belonged to a well-known drug trafficker based in the area.
At the same time the drugs division of the Alicante Civil Guard and that of Murcia found a shipment of more than 3 tons of hashish, hidden in a pleasure boat, which was about to sink, 40 miles from the coast, still with crew on board. A complicated rescue operation was launched to rescue the crew and prevent its cargo from sinking which involved a fishing boat from the Torrevieja fleet and rescue services.
Following this partial sinking further five further bales of hashish were washed up along the coasts of Murcia and Alicante, apparently thrown overboard by the crew when attempting to keep the boat afloat ad hide the evidence.
In total, 84 bales were found, accounting for 3,357 kilos of hashish with a market value of more than 5 and a half million euros.
Investigations into the source of the marijuana and its link to the two boats involved soon ascertained that both were linked to a major criminal group with the logistical and financial power to employ naval mechanics who manufactured, stored and prepared narco-boats to bring hashish into the Spanish coastline from Africa.
In May investigators got lucky when Guardia Civíl in Santa Pola arrested four group members caught with a high-speed boat hidden inside a truck semi-trailer, ready to be launched.
The operation culminated, at the end of June, with the arrest of 11 other people, in the provinces of Alicante and Murcia, and two searches carried out in the Santa Pola industrial estate, where the organization had set up its logistics base.
In one of the industrial units three high-speed boats were seized, one of them ready to be transported and loaded inside a trailer. The narcoboat was loaded with 119 bottles full of fuel, two high-powered outboard engines, as well as enough food for the crew to survive offshore for several days.
In total, 15 people of Moroccan, Ecuadorian and Spanish nationalities have been arrested in the towns of Santa Pola, Sant Vicent del Raspeig, El Campello (in Alicante) and La Manga and Murcia (Murcia) for alleged drug trafficking, membership of a criminal organization and offences against smuggling legislation. Seven narco-boats, 3,357 kilos of hashish, two articulated trucks and five passenger cars have been seized.
Coastal bus routes increased for the summer. This includes the la Manga to Cartagena route. Click to read
52 year old female climber (now possibly a walker, emergency services have issued replacement info) airlifted to hospital in Jumilla after an accident; Click to read
Madrid man claimed partner with broken skull had choked on a fishbone : Click to read
Almería man charged with animal cruelty after throwing injured dog to his own six dogs as food: Click to read
One dies and four injured following explosion at petrol station in Cartagena: Two contractors were seriously wounded during an explosion at the Repsol petrol station in Plaza de España in Cartagena on Tuesday. The two men work for the Madrid-based company contracted to deep clean one of the subterranean diesel tanks on site and adapt it to new legislation. During the process one of the men was cutting metal with a radial saw, a spark from which appears to have caused the explosion. One of the injured died from his wounds on Friday after sustaining 90% burns. Witnesses were thrown to the ground in the explosion, which was dscribed as being "like an earthquake". Click for full article
Mar Menor
Results published this Friday show just one beach is not considered suitable for bathing, that of Playa de Los Urrutias. water quality on the remaining beaches is considered safe for bathing.
This knowledge can help to target resources when finding solutions to the algal growth in the lagoon
The College of Agricultural Engineers of the Region of Murcia (COIARM) has concluded an initial study which examines the role played by agriculture in the deterioration of the Mar Menor, focusing specifically on which of the areas of agricultural activity surrounding the lagoon are the most damaging to the lagoon, with the aim of helping to highly target actions which will offer the best return.
This report has been delivered to the Segura Hydrographic Confederation (CHS).
The document is the first of the actions recommended by the commission of experts created by COIARM, which for months has been analyzing the problem using the different disciplines covered by agronomic engineering.
The study has managed to identify a 553 hectare area in the Campo de Cartagena,
considered to be of particular importance due to the way in which the land is constituted, the result being a disproportionately high level of nutrients filtering into the Mar Menor.
Data gathered from a number of sources have been entered and analyzed using a Geographic Information System (GIS), which creates a digital terrain model, enabling engineers to factor in the variables regarding the land and its constitution as well as different environmental variables. These systems allow, through the superposition of layers on the studied area, to determine the coincidence between different factors, both physical and chemical.
Each layer provides a different variable: subdivision according to the administrative ownership of property, use of rain-fed or irrigated land, woody or horticultural crops, slope of the terrain, type of soil, speed of movement of the water, which indicates the time it takes for the water to reach the sea from each point of the water aquifer which lies beneath the Campo de Cartagena.
The data obtained through the crossing of these indicators creates valuable base information which can help to identify the plots of land which effectively cause the greatest harm and can help those empowered to legislate to make sure that the areas which are doing the most harm are dealt with first as a priority.
This is just one tiny element of the work currently underway to examine the underlying causes of the problem and identify the most effective route to resolve the issues long-term.
Use of fertilisers within 1500 metres of the Mar Menor will be prohibited
Please note; there is more material relating to this which will be written up over the weekend and added to the Mar Menor section of the bulletin before Monday; just come back to the email.
This week the Mar Menor has been at the centre of considerable political discussion as the deadline of Wednesday 22nd July approaches, the day on which the new law aiming to implement measures to protect the Mar Menor is scheduled for voting in the regional parliament.
The Ley de Protección y Recuperación Integral del Mar Menor embraces a raft of measures and is the response of the Murcian regional Government to the current problems.
As explained many times, competence for the various issues which combine to create this large-scale problem is complex. Unpicking these and resolving them requires action in many different areas, but one core issue is widely recognised as being at the heart of the most visible problem, which is excess algal growth in the lagoon, and that is agricultural activity using artificial nitrates to water crops, and the subsequent filtration of the chemicals into the soil, water run-offs and aquifer which holds vast deposits of water beneath the campo de Cartagena and beyond that, into neighbouring Alicante. (this link gives some background information; Click here if you want to understand some of the basics of these problems)
One of the key proposals in the new law is to prohibit any agricultural activity involving the use of chemical fertilisers within a strip surrounding the lagoon and this has been the topic of considerable debate and argument, although this week politicians finally agreed to put their differences aside and have agreed that the strip surrounding the Mar Menor will be amplified to 1500 metres, not the 500 originally proposed and this will be incorporated in the text of the document for approval on Wednesday. In theory the document should now be approved, following agreement between the PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos.
The new restrictions prohibit the use of any type of chemical fertilizer, non-composted manures and green manures within a distance of one and a half kilometers from the coast. Only organic farming is permitted and only crops that do not exceed 170 kilos of nitrates per hectare per year.
Existing agricultural greenhouses will be permitted to continue activities under these new conditions, but cannot be expanded in any way and no new greenhouses may be built.
As part of the conditions under which ecological agriculture will be permitted, the creation of natural filters and barriers to prevent water-run-off and improve bio-diversity are included. Agriculturalists will have to allocate 20% of their surface area to the creation of hedges or planted barriers which will help to catch organic material and form planted breaks between agricultural areas and the water; green filters, wetlands or forest spaces will also be used to create a belt of vegetation that protects the lagoon. No agricultural planting will be permitted within 500 metres of the shore.
Different types of crops will have to be grown that require less water, as although the agricultural sector can continue to irrigate, they must do so using a drip system only, in order to consume less water and create less run-off. This also leads to different crops that do not favour the creation of such large volumes of sediment and mud run-off (for example, broccoli requires weed-free space around each plant which results in large patches of bare earth which are subject to water run-off when it rains, lavender grown as a dry cultivation aromatic oil crop forms broad bushes which cover the ground and form a solid root base, better absorbing water, demanding less water and minimising the risk of run-off).
The agricultural sector has been up in arms about the proposals, saying that this will kill off the sector and destroy jobs, but the reality is that they will simply have to learn to adapt their methods and grow different crops.
Organic farming is absolutely viable all over the world, and the restrictions proposed will simply lead to a change in farming practices, not the elimination of them.
Undoubtedly aid for the sector will be requested, and probably granted, and significant sums of money invested by governments to assist the sector in its transition to a sustainable future, and everyone will benefit long-term from a better environment and healthier Mar Menor.
This is just one tiny step towards resolving the problems and this week there have been other topics in the headlines (see feed below) which show that there is still a long way to go, but agreement amongst politicians and a positive commitment to change far outweighs the politically motivated arguments which have blighted the call for action for so long!
