Rapidly increasing numbers of corona cases and the Omikron variant do not keep people in Spain’s capital Madrid from celebrating New Year’s Eve.
Madrid – Spain says goodbye to 2021 despite a high vaccination rate of around 80 percent with one of the highest corona incidences in Europe. The number of newly recorded infections per 100,000 inhabitants within 24 hours climbed to 1086, as the Ministry of Health in Madrid announced on Thursday evening. This was the first time that the 1000 mark was exceeded. For comparison: In Germany this value was 214.9 on Friday.
In mid-October, Spain had recorded an annual low of around 18. The authorities meanwhile assert that the situation in the hospitals is still largely under control thanks to the high vaccination rate, since the vaccine in most cases ensures infection without symptoms or with a milder course of the disease. Most recently, 8.8 percent of all hospital beds and 19 percent of all intensive care beds in Spain were occupied by Covid patients. These numbers are also climbing, but rather slowly.
Corona: People in Spain want to celebrate a mass party despite more and more new infections
Because of the rapidly increasing number of cases, Spain shortened the duration of isolation this week after an infection with no symptoms and also with mild symptoms from ten to seven days. This also applies to suspected unvaccinated cases. The reduction had been requested by several regional governments and business owners. The aim is to prevent impairment of basic services in hospitals and public transport, for example.
To contain the pandemic, the requirement to wear masks outdoors was reintroduced nationwide. In nine of 17 regions there are 3G rules, curfew or nightly exit restrictions, in others – such as in the capital – there are hardly any restrictions. In Madrid, despite Corona, around 7,000 people wanted to gather on the Puerta del Sol square on Friday evening to welcome the New Year at the most traditional New Year’s Eve mass party in the country. (ktho / dpa)
