Monday 1st June – Spain & UK
For the first time since March 17, for a period of 24 hours, there were no coronavirus deaths in the Valencian Region. The total number of fatalities stays at 1,432. The rate of infection dropped from 96 the previous day, to 71.
In the UK, new infections totalled 1,570.
Saturday 6th June – UK
The death toll fell below 100 for the first time …..
There were protests in all the major cities in the UK against the unlawful killing of George Lloyd in Minneapolis. Lots of people gathering very close together with so few wearing masks 
Monday 8th June – UK
For the 2nd day in a row, Scotland records no CV19 deaths.
Ireland relaxes lockdown allowing high street shops to open & people are able to travel within their own county, or up-to 20km away. This is an increase from the 5km imposed during the previous few weeks.
Monday 15th June – Spain
Most of the country enters Phase 3 & we’re allowed to travel to other provinces within our community, so for the first time in many weeks, we can drive into Alicante just a few miles away. The children’s play areas are open &, other than wearing masks, seeing others in theirs & automatically using hand gel when entering any kind of building, there’s a feeling of some kind of normal life.
Thursday 18th June – Spain
Blood test day.
Temperatures are being taken at the entrance to the health centre before cleaning hands with alcohol gel. Masks are obligatory.
I understand all doctor’s appointments are by phone & am waiting for a volunteer translator to call & find out how we can get Rob in to see the ENT specialist – his appointment on 17th March, just after the state of alarm was imposed, was cancelled. Since then, he’s had to suffer constant sinus pain & headaches as polyps completely block his nasal passages both sides. We’re getting desperate for this appointment now.
Saturday 20th June – Spain & UK
We travelled over the border to Alicante Province to visit a fabric shop in Calpe. As soon as we left the car park, onto a fairly quiet street, we were stopped by Calpe police & instructed to wear our masks. They were stopping everyone & very pleasantly asking people to put on their masks. Not a problem, but the first time we’d experienced this being compulsory, even when there were more than 2 metres between individuals. However Calpe is a big package holiday destinantion, so these measures are more necessary there than other quieter & less visited towns.
The Spanish Foreign Minister confirms that visitors from the UK won’t be subject to quarantine.
The Spanish tourism sector is keen to open-up again before too much more of the summer season is lost.
Our La Safor area ended the state of alarm having no Covid-19 hospitalisations nor new infections for more than a month.
In the wider Valencian Community, there are just 7 patients remaining in ICU & 85 admitted, but for less intensive care. Since the pandemic began, Communidad Valencia has had a total of 11,441 infections & 1,466 deaths.
In the last 7 days there have been less than 50 deaths in all of Spain whilst the total death toll for the coutry is 28,313. However, between 1st March – 1st May 2020, there were 43,295 more deaths recorded than considered ‘normal’ for the time of year. Therefore, just under 15k deaths were not officially attributed to CV-19, due to not being positively tested, but many likely did die as a result of coronavirus.
In the UK, only 43 deaths were recorded in 24 hours, but at 1,221, the new infection rate is regularly around this number each day, whilst total fatalities this day stand at 42,632.
As we first went into lockdown in Spain, we were screaming for the UK to do the same, but Boris dithered for a week.
Whilst Spain was in tight lockdown, the UK didn’t seem to understand & hundreds travelled to beauty spots & the beaches to exercise. When restrictions were lifted, thousands crammed into parks to sunbathe side-by-side & police broke-up illegal parties & raves.
Sunday 21st June – Spain
The Spanish state of alarm is lifted with no restrictions on travel enabling people to visit their second homes for the first time since the beginning of March.
There are mixed feelings in the resorts as the influx of visitors is good for the local economy, but at what risk?
Spain’s borders are also open to EU members, including the UK, but except Portugal who will enter on 1st July.
There are queues of French citizens waiting to buy their tobacco just across the boder in Spain…
Monday 22nd June – Spain
Aragon is the first area in Spain to reintroduce restrictions following a coronavirus outbreak.
The official total of virus deaths in Spain is just over 28k, but how accurate is this when some regions were suspected of not recording correctly?
Meanwhile the UK death toll has reached nearly 44k.
Wednesday 1st July – Spain
Since the state of alarm ended & people become meeting again, there is a spike in infections. These are mainly from family gatherings, but also in a few large workplaces, such as food production companies.
Portugal opens the border with Spain.
Tuesday 2nd July – UK
The UK Government revised the total number of cases down by 30,302 because some people were counted twice in the earlier figures.
Monday 6th July – Spain
An 8 week study of nearly 70k blood samples shows that less than 6% of the population have covid-19 antibodies in Spain. The percentage is higher in those professions with more exposure to the virus, such as healthcare workers, police & fire crews. This leaves 95% of the poulation vulnerable to infection as to ensure ‘herd immunity’, at least 60% of citizens would need to have antibodies.
Monday 13th July – Spain
More & more regions are making wearing face masks compulsory. A poll suggests that residents of Spain are more willing to wear masks than elsewhere in Europe…
Friday 17th July – UK
Matt Hancock, the Health Secretary, called for an urgent review into how coronavirus deaths were recorded in England as Public Health England had said that the figures for deaths included people that had tested positive for the virus months before their death…
Friday 24th July – Spain
The number of coronavirus cases are escalating in Spain. At the end of May, the number of new infections confirmed by PCR testing fell below 500, then in June, they were less than 250. Now however, there are more than 1,000 cases a day. The ‘R’ infection rate number stands at 1.3.
Similar to the beginning of the pandemic, a week after there was a noticable rise in infection numbers, hospital admissions are on the increase too. However, with an average age of 48, it’s now a younger age group becoming infected, compared to 60 before. Perhaps due to better testing of all cases, not just the most serious, or that older people are still taking better precautions than the younger population
Bars & nightclubs are noted as the hotspots of infections with nearly 50% of people being unaware they had been in contact with an infected person.
It’s unlikely there will be a national state of alarm, but Spain’s Government wants to support the wor of regional authorities in their own fight against the spread & effects of Covid-19.
Saturday 18th July – Spain
The Minister of Health of the Valencian Generalitat, Ana Barceló announces that masks will be mandatory in all public places except beaches, swimming pools or natural spaces in the Valencian Community.
Friday 24th July – UK
The wearing of face coverings is compulsory in the UK in most indoor shops, shopping centres & transport hubs, however they are optional to wear in other indoor public places including museums, cinemas & hairdressers.
Unlike Spain where masks are compulsory, these face coverings can be cloth scarves or similar.
Saturday 25th July – UK
The UK advise travellers not to go to Spain &, as from midnight, will be enforcing a 14 day quarentine for anyone arriving back into the UK from Spain.
Is this to encourage holidaymakers to remain in the UK & boost the economy?
It won’t be a popular move by airlines & tour operators who will once again face cancellations.
There were comments that the Government gave 10 days notice for mask-wearing, but just 4 hours of the quarantine measures…
Thursday 30th July – Spain
Spain records 1,153 daily coronavirus cases, the highest figure since May 1st.
Before May 25, the Spanish Health Ministry informed about all coronavirus cases reported by regional authorities the day before, regardless of when they had actually been diagnosed. Now, only infections diagnosed in the last 24 hours are announced.
At the beginning of May, tests were being done on less than half of those with coronavirus symptoms, and between 5% and 10% were coming back positive. Now, according to the latest figures from the Health Ministry, tests are carried out on 95% of people with symptoms and the positivity rate is only 1.2%. “This is a sign that transmission has fallen,”
The latest figures from the Health Ministry puts the total number of hospitalizations at 126,690 and the death toll at 28,441. But experts agree that the number of victims is much higher, given that many people died without being tested for Covid-19, meaning they were left out of the official count. Based on the excess death reports from the Carlos III health institute, data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) and figures from regional health authorities, EL PAÍS has calculated that the death toll is likely to be closer to 45,000.