The Spanish government reported signs of relaxation for days, but from Thursday to Friday the number of new infections rose again. A dispute between experts has long flared up as to whether the government’s figures are reliable.
The Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has repeatedly spoken of signs of relaxation in recent days. The number of new corona infections registered in the country had been falling daily for a long time. On Friday afternoon, however, the authorities announced that the number of new infections in Spain had risen by 5252 to 188,068 within 24 hours. That is an increase of 2.9 percent. The official death toll was 19,478, and the number of people released as healed from therapy was 72,963.
However, not only health experts but also representatives of several regional governments accuse Sanchez that Madrid operates with wrong, namely too low, numbers. The debate on Thursday covered reports of the general situation.
Retirement homes and social centers for the disabled continue to be particularly affected by the virus. The information caused further uncertainty that universities and schools should only open again after the summer holidays. The Madrid region accounts for more than a third of those affected. According to official information, up to 60 percent of the fatalities are residents of old people’s homes and communal social wards as well as homes for the disabled. These homes suffer from a great shortage of staff. A considerable part of the carers came from Eastern Europe, especially from Romania, most of them returned to their homeland. The Spanish media are full of reports of needy seniors and disabled people who have no chance of effective protective measures and adequate therapy.
Experts believe that the official numbers are still far too low because the statistics only recorded those who had a previous viral illness after death. However, this is not the case with most seniors. The regional government of Catalonia has now ordered that cases where the symptoms are likely to indicate the virus are included in the statistics. If the other 16 autonomous regions to which healthcare is subject follow Barcelona’s example, the official figures would probably more than double.
Given the fierce debate, the Ministry of Health has now announced uniform standards for the registration of the sick and dead. Sanchez has been accused by both left and right-wing media that his cabinet’s information policy violates the Transparency Act. It was also criticized that the ministers did not respond to inquiries from the media. Questions for the press conferences would have to be emailed beforehand. The ministry spokesmen ignored critical questions.
Another conflict was looming between Madrid and Barcelona. In Catalonia, the strict ban on going out is to be relaxed, children should be allowed to visit parks and playgrounds when accompanied by legal guardians. But Madrid is strictly against it. The health politicians of the capitalist state that the transmission of the virus by children have not been sufficiently researched.
From circles of the central government, plans became known, according to which all schools and universities should only be reopened after the summer vacation in early September. The harsh penalties for rule-breakers are also increasingly coming into focus. The various police forces in Spain have so far issued more than 600,000 fines. Anyone found in a park or forest has to pay hundreds of euros, even if they are alone and do not endanger anyone. Critics consider this rule to be completely nonsensical and refer to other EU countries where outdoor sports and walks are recommended.
