Alex Trelinski
HOSPITALITY businesses are a minimal source of coronavirus outbreaks on the Costa Blanca, according to figures compiled by the Valencian Health Ministry.
Since the end of the first State of Alarm in late June, the department says that out of 2,814 outbreaks in the Valencian Community, 1,730(61.47%) of them were caused by gatherings of families and friends within private homes.
In contrast, the official regional figures show that catering outlets have registered just 59 outbreaks since late June, accounting for just 2% of all coronavirus outbreaks.
Home socialising is the big outbreak threat with gatherings now currently accounting for 87.5% of all local COVID-19 outbreaks of social origin.
The stark figures come as the Valencian government is looking at loosening the restriction on the maximum gathering limit of six people for the Christmas holiday.
Meanwhile bars and restaurants are working under major capacity restrictions and early closing times.
This Obvious Truth-exposing article should have been front page headline news throughout Spain, even internationally. I have made twenty enlarged/blown-up photocopies of it and am trying to persuade bars and restaurants to paste them up where customers can see the embarrassing facts. So-called authorities should obviously be encouraging people to stay in bars, pubs and restaurants till 2 or 3 in the morning – avoiding going home to mix with family and friends for as long as they can!! Concrete proof that a “go home” curfew is worse than mere Alice in Wonderland buffoonery – it is downright irresponsible and substantially increases the contagion and death risk.
PS. it’s a pity that Olive Press didn’t provide a link to the original Spanish Valencian Health Ministry report – I can find no reports in Spanish after much exhaustive searching using Spanish keywords.
Paul G