Ibiza Covid19 Update – Thu 19 March 2020

After 3 busy days, yesterday was less hectic with regards to new information, here’s an overview.

Ibiza Covid19 cases remain at 10 with 6 at home and 4 in hospital. There was a scare in Santa Eulalia when it was reported that a schoolgirl had contracted the virus but thankfully it proved to be a case of miscommunication with a lot of relief all round.

The Balearic Govt hopes to have rapid detection tests in place by next week so it can expand testing which is currently performed only on those with severe symptoms.

Ibiza Island Council President Vicente Mari has warned residents to stay indoors and if they can’t justify why they are on the street they “should accept the consequences”. Authorities have so far issued 42 fines to residents unable to justify their movements or over capacity in vehicles.

Mari reiterated that “the health emergency remains our main concern and all efforts must be aimed at stopping the spread of this disease and caring for the affected people”.

Flights between Ibiza and Mallorca will stop today and now only national flights will operate to/from Madrid and Barcelona with 1 flight per day per airline.

Entry to the island is restricted to returning residents or those coming to carry out essential work and is subject to health controls on arrival.

Disembarkation at ports is now only for the drivers of goods transport vehicles to maintain supply and and to allow essential movements.

Public transport on the island continues to be affected. 10 bus lines have been cancelled and the frequency is running at 40%. Check the Ibiza Bus website for more details.

Road blocks continue and new fines have come into place for vehicles on the roads with more than 1 person without a justifiable reason. The penalty is now 300 to 1000 EUR

Ibiza Social Services are not closed. If anybody has queries regarding dependency, disability, social monetary help, non contributory pensions then you can call this number: 971 177272.

Police have been warning some local residents that garbage should only be taken out at certain times. There should be a sign on the bins but if not then 7-11pm is the general rule. Also, although there has been no official guidelines regarding supermarket visits, 1 per day has been mentioned but I will post about that as and when it happens.

Restrictions are being amended daily but Veterinary clinics can continue to open and hairdressers can travel to houses.

All Spanish touristic hotels have been ordered to close by 24 March and foreign nationals still in Spain should contact their consulate for repatriation flights. Any hotel or apartment block housing essential workers can remain open.

Construction workers can continue to work as long as they respect distance between each other although this might change in the coming days as restrictions get tighter.

The car hire company ‘Autos Isla Blanca’ have donated use of their fleet to health centres so they can do home visits

Inditex, the owners of Zara, have offered to start producing protection masks, overalls and anything else required by the health industry. They have pledged financial help of over 250 million euros and offered use of their logistics network for for shipments between Spain & China

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said that the worst is yet to come but promised reconstruction budgets for 2021

King Felipe VI of Spain gave an impassioned speech live on TV last night. He asked that we all heed to what we are being told to do and that this was a crisis that, together, we can fight and overcome.

Stay safe & best regards

Special thanks to Lesley ‘The Machine’ Donald & Tricia ‘Lady T’ Templeton

VERY IMPORTANT: INFORMATION TAKEN FROM CREDIBLE PRESS AND GOVERNMENT SOURCES HOWEVER THE SITUATION IS CHANGING VERY QUICKLY. THIS BLOG IS WRITTEN FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES AND I TAKE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY ERRORS GIVEN IN GOOD FAITH