Ibiza Covid19 Update 08 May

Covid19 figures for Ibiza & Formentera on 07/05/20 were as follows (via local press)

· 164 cases in total
· 35 Active Cases

· 23 in hospitals being monitored
· 5 in hospitals in intensive care
· 7 under surveillance at home
· 117 Discharged from hospital
· 12 fatalities

· 2 health workers at home being controlled by UVAC
· 12 health workers under ‘active surveillance’
· 30 days without any new cases admitted to intensive care

These figures are updated daily at 1pm by Balearic Health Office

· After much political manoeuvring Spanish politicians agreed on Wednesday to extend the current state of alarm until midnight on the 23 May taking it to 10 weeks in total.

· The Balearic Government has said that the ERTE scheme where employees are paid 70% of their salary by the state will be kept in place as long as necessary as a protection tool until the tourism sector can recover.

· All of Spain’s regions including the Balearic Islands have requested to move to Phase 1 of the deescalation process except for Catalonia and Castilla y León. The Government will announce today or tomorrow which regions can exit phase 0 and advance to phase 1

· Phase 1 limits Spanish residents to their own province but allows them to meet with up to 10 people provided that social distancing is observed. Amongst the measures will include establishments able to open their terraces up to 50% of usual capacity, outdoor markets at 25% and religious celebrations at 30%. Stores that measure less than 400 square meters can open at 30% of their usual capacity.

· Balearic Health Minister Patricia Gómez calculated yesterday that 1 in 50 people on the islands may have Covid19 antibodies although she stressed that she only had preliminary data from 10% of the analyses. Sra Gomez also said that the rapid tests being carried out on boat trips between Ibiza and Formentera are a pilot test not a general formula. Spanish Head of Infectious Diseases Dr Javier Arranz previously said that the the real value of the rapid tests is to detect those who require a full PCR test.

· Ibiza and San Jose Town halls have announced that they will not charge businesses for terraces this summer with the other councils expected to follow suit. San Jose also announced that terraces can occupy up to double the usual space as long as it does not affect passageways or encroach on the space of another business.

· The Island Council of Ibiza will unveil plans to increase public transport frequency to meet demand as Ibiza enters phase 1. The capacity of bus users will remain at 50% and the new plans will try to offer close to 50% of the service available before the lockdown began.

· Swimming in the sea is prohibited until phase 3 of the de-escalation process comes into force which currently means 08 June for Ibiza and 01 June for Formentera.

· From 14 May Mercadona will start to sell disposable hygienic masks in packs of 10 for 6 euros each under the Deliplus brand to meet the needs of its customers, the chain will also increase their opening hours from 11 May to 9am-8pm.

· Ibiza Town Hall will start its ‘Eivissa Oberta’ project this weekend which aims to expand public space for pedestrians and bicycles on Saturdays and Sundays. The plan is to open up more than 15,000 square meters for pedestrians to enjoy walks safely whilst maintaining safety distances recommended by health authorities.

Fake news stories are still appearing especially over the new phases of deescalation but local government websites and credible press/social media pages are the best places to gather important information.

The situation is constantly evolving however please follow the guidelines.

Best Regards

With special thanks to Lesley Donald, Tricia Templeton and Julian Cobby

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