Pandemic in Spain
Full restaurants and clubs: Why Madrid is still not a “Corona paradise”
People enjoy the sun outside a bar in downtown Madrid
© Juan Carlos Rojas / DPA
The corona numbers are also rising again in Spain. Nevertheless, there are few signs of restrictions in the capital, Madrid, or in the rest of the country. Visiting a city that defies the new wave.
The crowd in front of the restaurants and clubs in Madrid seems to be bigger than the concern of a corona infection. If you want to get in, you have to wait a long time because it is already full inside. Heiko, a young tourist from Hamburg and his three buddies, know that. They’re just visiting discos and bars in the Spanish capital. “This is a different planet here!” Says Heiko with a broad grin and shiny eyes. When asked about a photo, the four grimace: “No, no, otherwise at home they say: these oaths again.”
Despite rising numbers, Madrid remains a party stronghold
Although the corona numbers have been rising again in Madrid for weeks, the metropolis is once again living up to its reputation as a party stronghold resistant to restrictions. 3G? Doesn’t exist. Unvaccinated people are allowed in almost anywhere, even without a test or corona pass. In the rest of the country people are sometimes more cautious. For example, the 3G rule has been introduced to varying degrees in some regions. In some places for bars with larger capacities, such as on the Balearic Islands with the Germans’ favorite holiday island Mallorca, but often only for visiting hospitals or retirement homes.
Not only in Madrid, everywhere in Spain life goes on almost normally. Concerts take place in front of thousands of visitors without any problems. There are no “ghost games” in football. And in Madrid, just like in Mallorca, in Alicante and Barcelona, despite the 3G rule, people stand on each other’s feet when they wait for admission in front of discos, restaurants and shopping malls. “Like at Ballermann, only the beach is missing,” jokes Heiko.
Company Christmas parties are very popular
There is currently a lot going on at company Christmas parties, which are now largely taboo in Germany. The demand is so great that numerous restaurants have increased their prices, in some cases significantly, and are declining reservations from larger groups. There are often meetings of 70, 80 or even more people. “The most popular restaurants have long been fully booked,” the newspaper “El País” quoted the president of the Spanish restaurant association Cehe, José Luis Yzuel, a week ago. “There is hardly any fear,” stated the renowned paper.
The Omikron variant did lead to rejections. “But there were only a few,” says Yzuel. The fact that a few days ago almost 70 doctors and nurses at a clinic in Málaga tested positive after a Christmas dinner with 170 participants, although they had done antigen tests before the meeting, only spoils the party mood for a few. An isolated case, many believe – like Alba Costa, who works in a hospital in Getafe south of Madrid. The 29-year-old doctor explains: “Last winter we didn’t even consider it, but the vaccinations and PCR tests that we regularly do in the hospital are fine. That’s why we want to have our Christmas dinner in the middle of the month . “
Where Omikron has appeared everywhere
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The big Christmas dinners are celebrating a renaissance among companies and families, and not just in Madrid. The newspaper “El Periódico” wrote on Monday that in the Autonomous Community of Extremadura on the border with Portugal, “all restaurants will be almost 100 percent booked from Wednesday onwards”.
Spain has a high vaccination rate
Most Spaniards trust the high vaccination rate. Around 90 percent of all citizens older than twelve are already fully vaccinated. The five to eleven year olds will be piked from Wednesday. For comparison: In Germany, around 70 percent of people are considered fully vaccinated. There are no demos of conspiracy theorists and vaccine opponents in Spain at all. People enjoy life to the full. But they still remain cautious: on the street, for example, very many, including many younger ones, almost always continue to wear masks, although there is no longer any obligation to do so.
Is Spain a “Corona Paradise”? Not quite: The nationwide seven-day incidence climbed from the 2021 low of around 18 in mid-October to 164. In Madrid, this value was 98. This is still significantly better than many other European countries despite the recent increases. In Germany, the incidence on Monday was just under 390. In Spain, according to the authorities, the situation in the intensive care units is still relatively relaxed, there are also relatively few deaths related to Covid-19 – a good 150 in the last week.
Heiko, his friends and numerous other tourists benefit from the high life in Spain and especially in Madrid. The locals are also happy, of course, especially innkeepers and shopkeepers. But the biggest profit is a 43-year-old: Isabel Díaz Ayuso. With her relaxed corona policy and the motto “Freedom or Communism”, the conservative regional president became the most popular person in Madrid, ahead of film or sports stars. The “bar queen”, as the TV broadcaster RTVE christened her, or the “Santa”, as the landlords call her, is celebrated loudly as soon as she sets foot on the street. “Restrictions only bring chaos, we in Madrid want normalcy,” she said again on Monday.