OLIVE PRESS
The
MALLORCA
FREE
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 3 Issue 78 www.theolivepress.es April 17th - April 30th, 2020
Photos by Jon Clarke and Mercat de Santa Catalina
Semana d e l l e Santa c n a C2020
EASTER SPIRIT: Server at the Mercat de Santa Catalina (left) and (above) street cleaners taking no precautions in Andalucia
LET US OUT! Lawyer appeals to EU over ‘illegal’ lockdown claims that infringe civil rights and make Spain a ‘de facto dictatorship’
A SPANISH lawyer has complained to the European Parliament that the country’s coronavirus lockdown rules are illegal. Jose Ortega believes the rules - which are more draconian than other European countries, such as Germany, the UK and Italy - are an infringement of civil liberties. The Valencia-based lawyer has sent a letter to the Human Rights sub-committee demanding that the basic right of movement is added as a modification to the current state of alarm decree. “The government has illegally introduced a very dangerous and disturbing system of suspension of individual rights that could be described as a de facto transitional
By Dilip Kuner
dictatorship,” insisted Ortega, who is best known for his work opposing new coastal laws. The letter received by MEP Leopoldo Lopez, who sits on the sub-committee, focuses on the restrictions to travel and the right to basic ‘outdoor activity’, where risks of catching or passing on the virus are low. “It is an effective suspension of the right to free movement,” insisted Ortega.
Getting you through Easter may be off, but there is still plenty to look forward to in April, including... Property tips from real estate expert Amanda Butler see p4
Keys Isl nd to the
Lessons from history. What Spanish flu can teach us about COVID-19 see p6
Continues on Page 2
Cooking up a storm in lockdown see p11
UK BASED
TRAVEL INSURANCE
How to stay fit as a fiddle from home
for Spanish residents
see p14
www.globelink.co.uk 96 626 5000 +44 (0) 1353 699082
And our new columnist Terenia see p15
Terenia Taras Telling it like it is
CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
www.theolivepress.es
From Page 1
Still on lockdown “It is a fundamental right of the individual contained in the European Convention on Human Rights and in other international human rights treaties and, of course, in the
Spanish Constitution.” He added that under Spanish law citizens had the right to appeal to the courts against any clauses in the state of alarm. But as the courts have all closed down as part of the emergency this is not possible, so therefore depriving people of their rights. The news comes, as it emerged that over 650,000 people had been fined in Spain for breaking the rules of the lockdown. The majority of these were for minor offences, such as not having a receipt at a supermarket or walking a dog more than 200m from homes. In most European countries, including Germany, the UK and France, citizens are allowed to take exercise outside their homes. Even in Italy at the height of the pandemic, people were allowed to take exercise once a day. In Sweden, social distancing rules only prevent meetings of groups of more than 50 people. But it is unlikely that the European Parliament will take action against Spain at the moment.
Shocked
MEP Lopez, of the PP party, confirmed to OK Diario that the sub-committee on human rights had received the complaint, but admitted that the procedure was wrong. He insisted that Ortega first had to send the letter to the Petitions Committee, which is the ‘competent body’ to register this type of citizens’ request. However, he has since replied to Ortega, saying that the committee is now ‘studying his case’. Darren Parmenter, British Councillor for International Relations in San Fulgencio told the Olive Press he was surprised with the claims and did not agree with it. “I was shocked to read that a lawyer was denouncing Pedro Sánchez to the European Parliament. “This is certainly not my view, nor those of the UK citizens I know. Of course, there are understandable frustrations from people that have had their daily lives turned upside down, but I’ve not seen a single comment suggesting we’re living in a ‘Police State’.”
Opinion Page 6
April 17th - April 30th 2020
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHER
Thank you
W
E always knew you believed in us! Now you are proving it with your generous support for our online portal, as it takes a huge hit from an 80% drop in global advertising revenue due to the Covid-19 crisis. Tasked with finding a way to tackle the huge shortfall that would have led to us having to lay off a number of journalists, we have introduced a subscription scheme for our two million-plus readers a month. This simple donation request has so far led to over four dozen big-hearted readers to part with anything from €5 to €100 in just one week. A vital help in these tough times, it helps us to continue exposing the fraudsters, cheats and conmen that sadly will be proliferating around Spain in this turbulent time. It also means we can continue undertaking the important journalism that you have become
Hundreds of generous readers support Spain’s number one English community newspaper
used to over the last 14 years: Reporting on riots in Barcelona, floods in Mallorca, crooks on the Costa del Sol, Franco’s exhumation in Madrid.. as well as getting out and about interviewing doctors, police and politicians on the current coronavirus crisis. But this money is also immediately being put to great use as we introduce a new expat community helpline (see below) giving up-to-the minute advice on issues arising from the crisis. This has so far involved helping a
pensioner tackle his local bank, a doctor get an urgent flight back to the UK and advice on travel restrictions. We are also introducing a regular ‘COVID-19 GUIDE’ section, comprising detailed guides for expats on everything from help for autonomos (self-employed) to ways to stay healthy. And we will be linking up local charities, helping to coordinate the massive effort they are undertaking to tackle this crisis on the ground (it starts on page 5 this issue). And to prove that charity really does start at home, all of the Olive Press team vows to give some of our time to help with translations of documents or helpful advice in our local communities.
The future of media
But most importantly, we see some vital and necessary changes ahead. Just as society will inevitably change once this crisis starts to ease, we want to try to wean ourselves off the need to have aggressive advertising that feeds an excessively consumer-led society and often feeds addictions. We, like you, sympathise with the amount of ads and pop ups that frustrate and make reading many websites difficult these days. But sadly for traditional media groups to survive it has been a necessary evil. In the old days papers like ours with real journalists commanded a cover charge, but that is sadly now impossible with the remarkably few places available to buy newspapers. Culturally, readers have also changed and no longer buy the
Bea’s Top Five lockdown tips SHE has helped a doctor scramble back to the UK on one of Spain’s last outbound flights. People have called her up to ask about supermarket opening times, helping vulnerable neighbours and even for translation assistance. But the Olive Press’ friendly receptionist Bea has now embarked on her latest mission to help expats navigate the COVID-19 crisis. After studying the government’s royal decrees, she reveals her top five tips, from
ASK BEA!
Bea reveals her top five tips for expats after being inundated with calls at her helpline
walking the dog to going shopping: 1. You need to go back to the UK? ●● By Ferry: From Santander you will find ferries that go to the UK ●● By Plane: At the moment British Airways is flying to the UK, please check their website ●● Airports: Gibraltar, Malaga, Granada, Alicante and Palma are operating with restrictions. Check websites for info
OLIVE PRESS
The
2
Contact the Olive Press special Corona crisis helpline..
on 951 273 575 or contact Josh at Olive Press TV on YouTube
passenger should be in the back, opposite the driver
●● Please be aware that you need to have your ticket as proof of your movements 2. Rules for shopping ●● Make less frequent and larger shopping trips, the recommendations are once a week, but maximum twice at the most ●● Please always ask for the receipt, as the police will request it to prove your movements ●● Normally in all supermarkets at the entrance it is obligatory to use disinfectant and gloves before entering ●● Only one person is allowed to go shopping. If the journey requires two people, one must wait in the car
4. Walking dogs ●● You should try and keep within a maximum of 200 metres from your home ●● Clean up after your dog by picking up its poo and take a bottle of water mixed with bleach as well
3. Trips by car ●● To prevent the risk of contagion it’s better to travel with only one person in the car ●● If there is a requirement to be accompanied, then the
We hope that all these tips help you and make for a better and easier confinement. If you need anything else please contact me on +34 951 273 575.
5. If you need to go to the bank ●● You need to know that only one person is allowed to go into the bank. You will need to wait for your turn on the street outside ●● We recommend to call the bank before, to know which paperwork you need for the enquires, and to avoid a second visit
traditional mainstream media as they used to do. They expect things online… and they expect it fast… AND of a high quality. It has created a huge crisis for newspapers globally, which has led to tens of thousands of journalists losing their jobs. Even celebrated national newspapers like the Mirror, in the UK, were laying off hundreds of them in the last two weeks. A shortage in journalists has, in turn, has led to far too many town halls remaining unscrutinized and, tragically, only a fraction of court cases getting covered. Meanwhile, fraudsters and conmen are not being taken to task, while corruption is becoming increasingly rife. In a way to remedy the situation, thousands of media groups around the world have introduced a paywall as a solution to dwindling print and advertising revenue.
Campaigning
We are holding firm however and see a different way to survive. Using a method introduced by the UK’s campaigning Guardian newspaper two years ago, we hope that readers who regularly use our site (and there are millions of you), are prepared to pay something to help see us grow and thrive. With our excellent team of journalists, plus dozens more freelancers who rely on the income we pay them, we hope ou will support us and continue to enjoy and use our content. The fact so many of you have already donated just goes to show that you are. Please continue to support us and I vow, as publisher, that we will take on more journalists and writers over the coming year and by 2021, when this crisis is (hopefully) finally over, we will be giving you national coverage on a daily basis, 365 days a year. Yours sincerely, Jon Clarke
www.theolivepress.es
NEWS
April 17th - April 30th 2020
3
Facing facts RESIDENTS won’t have to wear face masks in the street until there are enough for everyone. The government has ruled that it would be unfair as many people are still unable to get one. For now the priority has been given to health professionals and security forces. It comes as the WHO ruled it was not necessary except for the sick and for those who care for patients in their homes.
Bad omen A GROUP of ten are facing heavy fines for breaking lockdown rules to perform satanic rituals. Police were called in after the group wearing robes were spotted in the Mas Duran forest area of Catalunya. It comes as a woman was arrested for stripping naked and climbing on a police car in Torremolinos, near Malaga.
Can’t alter the rules A PRIEST narrowly avoided arrest when he was stopped walking around blessing people on their balconies. The Basque cleric, from San Severino de Balmaseda, was caught walking around his town with a bottle of holy water.
Pull the other one A MAYOR has been caught breaking lockdown to ring his village’s church bells. PP leader of Sahagun Paula Conde was caught breaking quarantine with local Podemos councillor Ramon Rodriguez. Neither took any precautionary measures such wearing a mask or social distancing. The pair were denounced and arrested after they posted their session on Facebook. Police agreed that ringing church bells was not among the essential services included in the state of emergency legislation.
PLIGHT: Homeless man walks past firemen preparing to disinfect a care home
SOS!
Rafa to the rescue
MALLORCA-born tennis star Rafael Nadal has raised over €20,000 in the fight against coronavirus. The world number two donated one of his prized match winning shirts, worn at the prestigious Roland Garros tournament in France last year. The donation formed part of the #LaMejorAsistencia, or The Best Assistance auction to raise much needed funds for the Spanish Red Cross. Organised by Liga ACB, Spain’s premier basketball division, Nadal’s shirt proved to be a big seller, bringing in a whopping €20,500.
Expat cruise passenger gets death threats after being wrongly accused of spreading COVID-19 ‘across world’ A BRITISH expat has received death threats after a newspaper wrongly accused her of spreading COVID-19 ‘across the world’. Coral Guise-Smith, 65, was accused of flying ‘18,447km across three continents’ to the Costa Blanca, after disembarking from a coronavirus-infected cruise ship, the Ruby Princess, on March 19. A Daily Mail article alleged that the Moraira resident ‘may have infected people’ with COVID-19 on her journey home from Australia, via Gatwick and Alicante airports. The claims were based on a series of Facebook posts in which she complained of ‘headaches’ and fever-like symptoms and was going to self-isolate when getting home. However, Coral told the Olive Press this week that she did not have the virus and that the report was both ‘shocking and frightening’. In particular, it led to five death threats, mostly via voice messages, against her and her husband, who had travelled with her. Insisting she had ‘done nothing wrong’, she added that she had worn a mask on the flights home and had not come into contact with anyone since getting home. “We were told to leave the ship and isolate until our flight was due and return to
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EXCLUSIVE By Joshua Parfitt
our country of residence,” she told the Olive Press. “No one told us anything different and therefore that is what we did.” She added that she had only done what she had been told by cruise bosses, as the stricken ship hit global headlines, when it later emerged over 100 people had tested positive for COVID-19. “The blame lies solely with Princess Cruises and the New South Wales Port authority – not the 2700 passengers who are victims of their mismanagement,” she insisted. She added her headaches were due to ‘jet lag’ and that doctors in Spain have refused a coronavirus test as she doesn’t have a fever or a cough. “We wouldn’t ever risk exposing the place we love most in the world,” she added. “The threats made have been shocking and very frightening. There was no need as we have done nothing wrong.” It comes as at least 30% of COVID-19 deaths in Australian are attributed to the disastrous handling of the Ruby Princess incident. A criminal investigation has been launched into the Carnival Cruise company, based in Miami, following intense public criticism.
ACCUSED: ‘Covid’ Coral
A COUPLE have married on their balcony after their wedding was cancelled due to COVID-19. Jose Lopez and Deborah Gurrea were stunned by their friends and neighbours when they had to call off their La Rioja wedding. Luckily, a couple of their friends who live on the same street in Arnedo, took the matter into their own hands. They decided to mobilise the neighbourhood and organised a surprise wedding, sending a big box to their home on the morning of the big day with a bridal bouquet, a tutu, a top hat and a bow tie. As the box was delivered they
Wedding surprise
heard a cacophony of noise outside and watched as hundreds of neighbours filled their own balconies with balloons and banners with the couples’ faces on them. Even the mayor of the town was able to make it and stood on the street, with an impromptu sound system. Visibly moved, the couple said ‘I do’ and married in front of all their neighbours. The ‘newlyweds’ will have an official ceremony when the pandemic is over.
Death won’t us part! AN elderly couple married for 65 years have made a complete recovery from Coronavirus. The pair, both 88, were hospitalised after falling ill just days after celebrating their auspicious anniversary with their seven children. After two weeks in hospital both on different floors - the
couple Jose Prieto and Guadalupe Matas, from Castilla la Mancha, were discharged
having made a full recovery. According to a doctor, Guadalupe refused to be discharged until her husband had made a full recovery too. They were released from the hospital together to rapturous applause and posed the following day from the balcony of their home.
4
www.theolivepress.es
CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
April 17th - April 30th 2020
dr dolots
Early lockdown and shrewd planning from local GP helps rural region stay free from coronavirus
Strictly locked down
HE can’t dance his way out of this one. Former Strictly Come Dancing star Brendan Cole has been locked down in his Mallorca holiday home since the Covid-19 outbreak began. The New Zealand ballroom dancer has been unable to leave the property he owns with wife Zoe and their children Aurelia, seven, and Dante, two. They have been making the most of their pool and BBQ, while Brendan, 43, has been cooking up a storm with a meat and potatoes dish. Zoe, a model and lifestyle blogger, also posted selfies of herself enjoying a glass of wine. “Today we’re happy as the sun came out for the first time in over a week!” she commented.
A REGION of eight towns and villages in northern Spain have stayed Coronavirus free by declaring a lockdown a week earlier than the rest of the country. The area of Cedrillas decided to begin social distancing and take drastic measures on March 7, a week before the country went into official lockdown. The boss of the local health centre and the local mayor agreed to close the 428km square region, in Teruel, which includes Castellar, el Pobo de la Sierra, Monteagudo del Castillo, Jorcas,
By Joshua Parfitt
Allepuz, Villarroya de los Pinares and Miravete de la Sierra. The result: not one person in the area has so far been confirmed as a victim of Covid-19.
Trust
Now, the region’s GP Eduardo Comas, coordinator of the Centro de Salud de Cedrillas has been singled out for praise in his quick-thinking measures. He puts his decision down to trust and says it was vital as a large percentage of the re-
gion’s 1,221 residents are over 65 years old. In particular, the main town has an old people’s home, which has seen no cases, while in the town of Valderrobres, just outside the region over 80% of residents and half of the workers in one nursing home alone have caught the virus. “The advantage of rural towns is that residents trust in their doctor, and have contact with their doctor,” explained Comas. All consented to introduce social distancing measures, and also included disin-
650,000 people break lockdown SINCE the start of Spain’s coronavirus lockdown on March 14, police have issued 650,000 fines for breaking the emergency regulations. Spain’s Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, revealed the figures on Monday during an online press conference. Marlaska emphasised that the sole purpose of issuing fines was to ensure people obeyed the regulations, dismissing claims from some quarters that it was a money-making exercise. He added that public health was his department’s priority. He continued to say that the
vast majority of people were obeying the regulations. There had been a slight rise in the number of people being fined last week, but generally compliance was good. Marlaska said that money collected from fines will be handed over to the Treasury, which will decide on how it should be spent. During the conference he also announced that 4,500 Policia Nacional, Guardia Civil, Red Cross and Civil protection volunteers have started handing out 10 million free protective masks at train and bus stations. He pledged that the scheme will be rolled out to pharmacies in the coming days.
OP QUICK Crossword Across 1 Roomy (8) 5 Image of a deity (4) 9 Borders (5) 10 Cushion for kneeling (7) 11 Dog of mixed breed (7) 13 Shouts (5) 14 17th letter of the Greek alphabet (3) 16 Overzealous (5) 18 Little drink (3) 20 Science of logic, quantity, shape and arrangement (Abbr.) (5) 22 Loss of memory (7) 24 Makes journeys (7) 26 Young hooter (5) 27 A great deal (4) 28 Frenzied rush (8) Down 1 Cooking vessel (7) 2 Inert elemental gas (5) 3 Underwriter (7) 4 Exclamation of disgust (3) 6 Draws aimlessly (7) 7 Finds pleasing (5) 8 Wan (4) 12 North African oil state (5) 15 Survive (7)
INGENIOUS: Dr Comas saved his town and region
fecting all shops and public buildings and keeping old people indoors. “The nursing home was like a bunker,” continued Comas. “No one entered, and no one left. We cleaned the trucks bringing in supplies with bleach, because if the virus got in, there would be no way of stopping it.” The only person given a special permit to use the roads was ‘Ratoncito Perez’ – the Spanish version of the tooth fairy – whom mayor Jose Luis Lopez assured children would still visit their homes. While a beautiful area for rural tourism, Comas believes that Cedrillas’ lack of ‘tourism, concerts, big events and public transport’ has saved them from the coronavirus. Oh, and a bit of quick thinking from him.
Keys Isl nd to the
OP Sudoku
A PAIR of factories in Andalucia have launched a huge recycling project, aiming to each recycle 500,000 face masks a day. The petrochemical facilities of Asturain energy firm Therman in Montilla (Cordoba) and Palos de la Frontera (Huelva) are participating in the national project, ‘Industrial and Neutral Antiseptic Pressurised System’. The project urges all hospital and healthcare personnel to properly recycle used surgical masks. Therman spokesperson Carmen Espinosa told the Olive Press that the project aims to ease the shortage of protective equipment due to the high demand generated by the coronavirus pandemic.
By Amanda Butler
Confidence is key I am confident of market resilience and expect an influx of inquiries for more spacious properties post-covid AT the time of writing, the Balearic Islands only have 1,606 patients who have tested positive for COVID-19, with 117 deaths – very sad for the families, but considering the forecast, these are excellent figures (obviously the figures will differ from the true numbers, since many with minor symptoms will be at home and unregistered). The Balearics appear to have locked down their borders in good time, and the measures taken have limited the spread. The Balearic Islands of Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca and Formentera have had one of the lowest infection rates in the Kingdom of Spain - we have flattened the curve with great success. With Boris Johnson nearly a casualty by all accounts, British and US figures are still climbing, with the forecast not looking great, particularly for the US. We haven’t seen the peak of it yet and who knows when this will start flattening on a global level, but one thing is for sure, our global economy is in chaos and there will be much fallout. In Spain some restrictions have started loosening already with some non-essential workers permitted to return to work. We are all hoping that by the end of April we may actually be able to walk out in nature, hand in hand with our loved ones - something I will never
17 “Raiders of the Lost Ark” actor --- Elliott (7) 19 Chatter (7) 20 Broken rock for road repairs (5) 21 Killed (4) 23 Find the answer (5) 25 Posed (3)
All solutions are on page 12
Mask task
HOUSE-HUNTING: Those on lockdown will be looking for more spacious properties
take for granted again. Who would ever have believed what was looming just around the corner at the end of last year?!
The Real Estate Market in Mallorca and the Balearic Islands
Past financial crises cannot be compared to this unprecedented global health crisis but we, as real estate agents, are confident of the resilience of the Mallorca and Balearic Real Estate Market in general. The volatility of the stock markets and looming economic crisis will no doubt impact the property market, as well as the delays in opening our borders to external travellers. However the COVID-19 realisation that we should not take life as we have known it for granted, may well encourage a new increase in demand for real estate investment opportunities in the Balearic Islands once our borders are re-opened. On a domestic level, the COVID-19 lockdown will have highlighted the negative aspects of homes with little or no outdoor space, particularly in the city centre. We anticipate an influx of properties in the lower end filling the marketplace, in a rush to exchange for homes with courtyards, gardens, terraces or roof terraces, with more versatile working and living spaces. Not to mention an increase in the number of divorces brought on by the enforced family quarantine! We will overcome this, in time, but I truly believe that the way we have managed to ride the COVID-19 wave will help to reaffirm the reputation of Mallorca and its sister islands to be a safe and secure place to invest in property. Be safe, keep your distance and stay positive! Amanda J Butler – an holistic approach to real estate in Mallorca. MJC Associates - +34 690075169, ajb@mjcassociates.net
6
CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
www.theolivepress.es
Spanish flu, part 2
Voted top expat paper in Spain
A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press represents the huge expatriate community in Spain with an estimated readership, including the websites, of more than two million people a month.
OPINION
A century ago the world experienced the deadliest pandemic in modern history. Joshua Parfitt delves into what lessons we can learn from the Spanish flu
Breaking point A MAN on a rampage with swords in Madrid and a naked woman waving her arms atop a police car in Torremolinos. These shocking viral videos reveal a country at breaking point. But these two individuals are anything but alone. After more than four weeks of confinement, millions of us across Spain are already feeling the bite. The mental health implications of being starved of human contact and the freedom to exercise outside are numerous. These are the harsh issues Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his PSOE administration must grapple with on a daily basis. However these stark realities - and an economy on life support - have not stopped the government extending the lockdown until April 26. It also hasn’t stopped the country’s police forces levying a shocking 650,000 fines, many for totally trivial and unjustified reasons. This hasn’t gone unnoticed, as it emerged this week that a Spanish lawyer has complained to the European Parliament that his government’s actions are illegal. Jose Ortega has seen what is happening across Europe and is appalled at his country’s response. Exercise is permitted in the UK, France and Germany, shops are trading in Austria, Denmark is going back to school, and some Italian regions have even permitted clothes shopping. A ‘de facto transitional dictatorship’ is how Ortega labelled Spain’s draconian measures in his legal plea, now being assessed by MEPs. So with Brussels involved, surely now is the time for Sanchez to seriously consider relaxing some of Spain’s inhumane measures. Builders and factory workers were back at work on Easter Monday, so please Pedro let us go for a jog. Or at least a walk, without having to use a neighbour’s pimped-out pet dog. Publisher / Editor
Jon Clarke, jon@theolivepress.es Charlie Smith charlie@theolivepress.es
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POSTER: Gives mask-making advice (left) and a 1918 Spanish flu ward
THE SS Talune carried no troops when it docked in Western Samoa on November 7, 1918 – four days before the end of the Great War. But the passenger steamship’s voyage from New Zealand to the remote pacific islands of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Nauru, is remembered as one of the deadliest in history. By December 31, 1918, an estimated 20% of Western Samoans had been wiped out by the so-called Spanish flu that would go on to claim four times more casualties than the entire First World War – an estimated 100 million. Tonga also saw 10% of its population felled as Talune crewmen infected in New Zealand spread the influenza to cultures with
A
BRITISH cyclist has been ‘overwhelmed’ by the help he has received after becoming trapped in southern Spain during the nationwide coronavirus lockdown. Paul Rhodes, 55, was in Morocco when he boarded the last ferry back to Spain on March 12, unaware of the impending quarantine. The freewheeling Liverpudlian with no fixed abode works as a freelance carpenter and volunteer and spends his days travelling the globe. SAFE: Paul (left) with new pal Santiago in Huelva, while (above) his tent pitched by a But when he arrived in Tarifa on the evening of March 12, there was something in the air. “The atmosphere was very different,” he told the Olive Press. “Many people were already wearing masks. In the Ohana A British cyclist tells Laurence Dollimore how he was hostel where I was staying, ru- kindly taken in by Andalucian farmers after being left out mours were rife and there was a lot of confusion. in the cold during the coronavirus lockdown “Some people were starting to worry. Then the rumours be- up the apocalyptic mood.” Cycling through winds and came fact; the hostel was go- Pepa filled Rhodes’ water bot- rain, he eventually reached ing to close in two days. Spain tles and gave him her number the border where he was met was going into lockdown.” in case he fell ill. by a posse of at least a dozen Rhodes said the next morn- “And then there was a young Portuguese police and immiing saw a ‘mad scramble’ as man in Bollullos, in Huelva, I gration officers. guests rushed to get home never got his name but there “They were somewhat amused and began checking out en was fear in his eyes,” recount- to see a cyclist coming tomasse, much to the disap- ed Rhodes, “yet he still went wards them at 10.30pm,” pointment of ‘friendly’ owner into his home on a street lined said Rhodes. Jesus. with lemon trees to fetch me “If I’d done this in the UK I “Poor old Jesus was bewil- some much-needed water.” would have been in trouble, dered,” said Rhodes. “he had Rhodes spent four days cy- and probably publicly shamed just reopened cling to reach online. Here, nobody got anhis family’s hosAyamonte on gry with me, they understood tel after a two the border in a my need to find a place to stay Overcome with month renovabid to catch a for a while. Yet as nice as they tion, now he tiredness and ferry to Portugal, were, the officials had their was going to be missed the jobs to do, and said that my LEGEND: Pharmacist Pepa forced to sleep but empty.” last boat by 16 volunteer job wasn’t a good With no support under a tree by hours. enough reason to enter. My forced to sleep under another network or a E x h a u s t e d passport was copied and 15 tree next to the N495 motorthe motorway and dirty, he minutes later I was on my way way. home to return After cycling another 19km, to in the UK, searched the back across the border.” Rhodes decided now ‘ghost Battling heavy rains, Rhodes he stopped at a gas station to head to Portugal, where town’ for supplies before man- was forced to find shelter un- in Santa Barbara for lunch he had some volunteer work aging to find a shop that was der a tree next to the N431 when Guardia Civil stopped lined up. still open. before heading back down to him and told him he could no “On the trip there were fewer “I sat on a bench in the de- Ayamonte. Policia Nacional longer carry on travelling and and fewer people out and serted town square eating my and the town hall directed him needed to find somewhere to about, the roads were eerily sandwiches, wondering what towards the Red Cross but stay and self-isolate. The officers drove slowly quiet,” he recalls, “Of the few to do next,” Rhodes recounts. they were unable to help him. people I did meet, most were Despite the border closing the He decided to head north to around the town to help him afraid..then I met Pepa, a night before, he opted to head find friends in Albergue, near look for accommodation, but pharmacist in Los Cabezas de for Portugal as he could prove Salamanca, but after cycling it was in vain. So with the San Juan, near Jerez, she was he had arranged volunteer through the night he was over- owner of the gas station’s a ray of sunshine, brightening work in the country. come with tiredness and was permission, he was allowed
MY SPANISH HER
April 17th - April 30th 2020
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even less resistance to the viruses than in the Old World. The death toll was particularly devastating due to Pacific Island customs requiring whole families to gather around the sick. Scientists have been painstakingly reconstructing this pandemic, even recovering infected lung tissue from an Inuit victim preserved in Alaskan perma-
frost, to figure out what happened and what we can do to DEATH CHART: ‘Flattening the curve’ was also a priority in 1918 stop it happening again. Fast-forward 100 years, and it’s cities that responded in wildly clear a virologist’s worst night- different ways (how ironic given what’s happening today) as the The Spanish flu pandemic dismare has landed upon us. But what can we learn from this second wave of the pandemic appeared by 1920 – but it did hit the continent in September not sleep. largely forgotten pandemic? Aside from laying the foundation 1918 (the first wave has been In 2009, nearly the exact of the World Health Organisation variously reported as arising same H1N1 strain resurrect(WHO), the discovery of the virus in China, Kansas and Europe’s ed as the cause of the swine flu pandemic that killed an esand the invention of life-saving Western Front in March 1918). vaccines, the research hours American pandemic expert timated 150,000 to 575,000 into Influenza A virus subtype John Barry, author of The Great people globally. H1N1 (A/H1N1) carry important Influenza, has drawn parallels Scientists investigating the in particular with Philadelphia Spanish flu have therefore lessons for us all. – which held a 200,000-strong been bugged by the quesLiberty Loan parade in Septem- tion: what makes a virus more ber – and cities like St Louis deadly than others? – which went into immediate The original H1N1 virus is lockdown, closing schools and thought to have developed in birds, acquiring mutations that While Western Samoa record- business. ed the worst death rate for any “The Liberty parade went for- human immune systems had country in the 1918 pandemic, ward and, roughly 48 hours not fought for decades, if ever. the islands of American Samoa later, the disease exploded in As the Spanish flu came deaths. Philadelphia. They ended up back to attack in four known This detail is attributed to the with about 14,500 deaths,” waves, it eventually became USA territory’s Naval Governor, Barry revealed to the New York- part of the regular humanborne winter influenza that John Martin Poyer, who heard er in March. reports of a deadly pandemic “St Louis, however, imposed carries lower death rates on the radio and immediately all sorts of social distancing and, more recently, can be imposed a maritime quaran- measures and had a much bet- vaccinated against. tine. ter outcome – they did, in fact, “It’s not good for the virus to kill the host as soon as it Researchers in 2008 later flatten the curve.” scoured archival documents, Most interestingly for us living infects it, because that host concluding that the confine- under strict confinement as has less chance of passing ment measures were ‘success- Europe battles the COVID-19 the virus on to other people,” ful’ in excluding the influenza. pandemic, is that the Spanish British virologist Wendy BarSimilar comparisons have flu did arrive in American Sa- clay, from Imperial College been drawn between American moa in 1920 – and yet no one London, revealed in 2018. This is why the 2009 swine flu pandemic was more potent than toned-down winter influenza in previous years: it was a virus adapted to infect pigs, not humans with a distinct immune system. These lessons are of incredible importance to us in our fight against COVID-19. Barry added “The coronavirus is now stuck with us forever. “I would expect to see waves of this: a second wave, and then less and less.” The coronavirus is currently deadly because it is believed to have jumped to humans from an unlikely source – bats or pangolins, scientists believe – for which our immune systems have little precedence. This helps to explain its leThe 1918 pandemic is known thality, and should inform as the ‘Spanish flu’ despite governments across the the influenza claiming heaviworld to control for further er death tolls in the USA, Poroutbreaks until the virus tugal and Italy. tones down, or we develop a The nickname is due to vaccine. Spain’s neutral status during When the 1918 Spanish flu the First World War, allowing pandemic hit, we did not its press to report on the spread freely. even know what a virus was, While most wartime governments actively suppressed and still authorities succeednews of the deadly influenza, to protect public morale ed with public policies of conwhich would have sunk as the disease mostly killed men finement. aged 20-40. New Zealand’s government While the USA had up to 675,000 deaths, newspaper reapologised to Samoa in 2002 ports suggested that the epidemic was not expected to for its mismanagement of the hit hard. SS Talune incident – with the Spain’s press freedom, however, gave a distorted impresbenefit of this hindsight and sion the country was the worst hit. an additional mountain of While former British Prime Minister David Lloyd George, scientific research, governand US president Woodrow Wilson, both fell ill, the flu is ments no longer have the best remembered for infecting Spain’s King Alfonso XIII, excuse that they didn’t see a which was widely reported (see inset). disaster coming.
The Varying Virus
A Tale of Two Samoas
petrol station in Santa Barbara
ROES
to set up his tent behind the forecourt. “Margarita was great and helped me a lot,” Rhodes said, “With her mask on I don’t even know what she looks like. When the quarantine is over I will drop by and give her a hug.” The next day a local farm manager named Santiago happened to see Rhodes’ tent and offered him a room on land belonging to his pal Francisco in Cabezas Rubias, Huelva. “I have a well for water, a fireplace, wonderful views and Amber, a nine-year-old horse for my neighbour,” Rhodes told this paper, “More importantly I am in a safe place. “Santiago, Margarita, Francisco; my neighbours; Joaquin and Pepi, Carlos and especially Vanessa have been absolutely wonderful. “They have given me shelter, bedding and a stove to cook on, given me a big bag of old clothes and even sourced a Spanish sim card. “Vanessa often passes food over the wall, and Joaquin lets me use an outside shower. To be honest, I’m overwhelmed by their humanity and generosity. “In this, the time of COVID-19, there are billions of stories to be told, and sadly hundreds of thousands that will never be written. “Coronavirus heroes are everywhere, and mine are here in Cabezas Rubias and Santa Barbara. “Muchas gracias mi héroes.”
DID YOU KNOW?
2.3M
4.2 M 6.7 M
ON TOP: Olive Press website traffic for March
nothing similar
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ruth is often said to be the first victim of wars and crises. And, right now, it pays to be wary of any information that gets slapped on social media or rapidly Googletranslated for a website. For Fake News is rife during the COVID-19 crisis, as we have discovered ourselves over the last fortnight. Disgracefully, conspiracy theorists, keyboard warriors, people with agendas and those seeking monetary gain have been getting far too much air-time and traction. Having good journalists to look behind the headlines, dig into sources and analyse the claims is key to having a trustworthy newspaper or website. And as any good journalist will tell you... the best stories always carry three or four good facts. So here we have a few: FACT1: According to leading online comparison site www.similarweb.com the Olive Press had DOUBLE the number of visitors than any other English rival in March FACT 2: According to Alexa.com, owned by Amazon, we are this week ranked in the world’s Top 6,000 sites (see graphic below), putting us around 70,000 places ahead of our nearest rival FACT 3: According to official Google Analytics (top) we had 4.3 million visitors in March reading 6.7 million pages FACT 4: Global digital advertising revenue has dropped by around 80% over the last month And it is due to this last fact that we have introduced a subscription scheme for our regular online visitors INSTEAD of introducing a pay wall, as many other publishers have over the last few years. Meaning 100% of our content is available all of the time, it also allows us to continue investing in our editorial team, which currently counts nearly 20 journalists and writers. So please if you are a regular user of our website make a small contribution, which can be from as little as €5. You’ll see the green button easy to find on the site. Every little helps, as they say.
5,917 # 164 # 167
EXTRA FACT: In case you hadn’t noticed, we have continued to print all FIVE of our editions through this crisis, of course cutting down in size and numbers to mirror the number of distribution points currently closed.
Here are the top five most read stories on www.theolivepress.es in the past two weeks:
for holidays in Spain in 2021 skyrock1- UKetsearches by a staggering 1,600% (48,811 visitors) When lockdown is predicted to end 2-inREVEALED: Spain as experts say country’s coronavirus hospitalisations have already peaked (37,335) More than 40 families caught escaping to second 3-homes on Spain’s Costa Blanca over Palm Sunday weekends (35,501) Spain’s coronavirus lockdown ‘to be extended an4-other 15 days’ but rules may be loosened (33,500) NO NEW COVID-19 deaths in Balearic Islands as 5-Ibiza clinic becomes first in Spain to use pioneering ozone therapy (28,009)
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Lockdown working THE UK’S infection rate for COVID-19 is nearly double that of Spain, claims a study. The ‘spread rate’ of countries is being published daily by the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC). Monday’s report suggests a person infected in the UK spreads the virus to 1.68 other people – while in Spain, 1.01 other people are infected. The figure helps to quantify the success of control measures for each country, according to the UPC’s Computational Biology department. The authors write that Spain is ‘on the right track’ to controlling the epidemic, while the UK – which implemented a lockdown nine days after Spain – is ‘ in an alarming growth phase’. Spain remains the country with the most accumulated cases of the coronavirus in Europe, with 130,759 as of Monday’s statistics. But mathematical models used in the study predict Spain’s attack rate (number of cases per 100,000, currently 282.1) is set to fall while the UK’s is set to increase over the next few days. The study reports that cases are highest in Madrid, while spreading rates are highest in La Rioja (1.25), Castilla-La Mancha (1.19) and Catalunya (1.03). Spreading rates are currently lowest in the Balearics (0.46), the Comunitat Valenciana (0.61) and the Canaries (0.65). Aa spreading rate of 1 indicates the coronavirus pandemic has reached its peak and a decline is beginning.
April 17th - April 30th 2020
We salute them Heroic 60 to bag luxury cruise after lockdown AS a thank you to those risking their lives to keep Mallorca functioning, the RIB Club has launched a special luxury
By Isha Sesay
cruise initiative. The private members boat club is offer-
ing to take 60 key workers a day out on one of its luxury vessels to explore the island’s beautiful surroundings once lockdown ends. The RIB Club has teamed up with Radio One Mallorca and Deep Blue Sea Training to try and reward those on the frontline in the pandemic. From healthcare staff to supermarket workers, police officers to postal employees, the RIB Club has asked the public to nominate someone who ‘deserves this very special experience’.
you Covidiot!
A HIKER has been branded ‘irresponsible’ after being rescued from a mountain amid the coronavirus crisis. The unidentified woman was saved by the Guardia Civil and Fire Brigade after falling and injuring herself while walking her dog on the Sierra de Cavall Bernat in Pollenca. Despite the nationwide lockdown, which strictly prohibits individuals
from making unessential trips outside, the woman decided to venture out for a spot of hiking on Easter Sunday. After twisting her ankle, she called the emergency services from her mobile phone to say that she was unable to descend down and needed immediate help. Officers discovered that the woman was a repeat offender for flouting lockdown.
Extraordinary
“We want to say thank you to the key workers who are keeping the island safe during this extraordinary situation,” explained Olivia White, the club’s Creative Marketing Analyst. “So many people are doing amazing things, and it is easy to forget how important of a role these workers play.” Serving as a light at the end of the tunnel, the winning workers will be able to enjoy an amazing boat charter with an experienced crew who will take care of every detail. Submissions can be made by visiting www.ribclub.com/ keyworkers with the lucky 60 being announced on April 26.
Time for action PHILANTHROPIC Spanish chef Jose Andres has been celebrated on the cover of America’s Time Magazine for his COVID-19 efforts. The World Central Kitchen founder, 50, has set up soup kitchens at his Washington and New York restaurants to feed firefighters and homeless people. He also sent food to passengers on quarantined cruiseliner the Diamond Princess in Japan, on which 10 people died after contracting coronavirus.
LA CULTURA
9
April 17th - April 30th 2020
Semana Santa 2020 Cancelled
W
E would normally get there an hour before, DESERTED: Streets parking a kilometre where Foreign Legion out of town and battle and parades normally our way through the throngs to pass, while (right) get to a good vantage point in disinfection crew the bustling main square. With a glass of ice cold fino and a media-racion de gambas, we would wait patiently for the peni- EASTER DISPATCH: The ritual and theatre of Semana Santa tents to arrive, along with Jesus has been packed off to Spain’s sitting rooms, with the sound of and Mary and, the highlight... a squadron of soldiers from distant drums subsiding for spraying machines, writes Jon Clarke Ronda’s nearby Foreign Legion on the most unusual Andalucian Easter in history cuartel. This has been our Good Friday correct precautions - this was a melted back indoors. up indoors, like us northern Euritual at Semana Santa for much village-led decision to keep out It was not, in fact, until I got to ropeans with our frequently inof the last two decades. the virus. the very top of the town, where clement weather. Away from the usual tourist trail, On the face of it, somewhat sin- I finally bumped into people. They are a sociable nation that Setenil de las Bodegas, at Eas- ister, a sort of China-lite idea to Three, in fact, dressed top to toe needs to get out and talk to each ter, is as authentic as anywhere monitor the movements of any- in hazmat suits and masks, and other, to play in the streets, to else in Spain at this time of year. one and everyone, it was justi- carefully, slowly sanitising the laugh and to joke and be seen, The marching bands, the smells, fied by the fact that just 5kms up streets with antiseptic from hose as they are every evening for the pointy hats and - above all - the road was the town of Alcala packs strapped to their backs. paseo. the tattooed and disciplined sol- del Valle, where over 100 people Well one of them was working This lockdown is killing them and diers, with their guns and songs have so far caught the Covid-19 while the other two were sim- they will come out on April 26, a about valour and death. infection, with up to half a dozen ply taking in the majestic scene different people, hopefully more It is the highlight of the year, having died. below, looking down on the fahands down, for most local An- But I was to find none of this. My mous, historical town that was dalucians. A time-worn ritual drive from Ronda was totally un- finally seized by the Catholic that is rehearsed for months impeded and I saw not one car kings from the muslims of the ahead and signifies the start of during the 25 minute journey. Kingdom of Granada in 1484, the tourist season. I arrived to find no roadblocks a year before Ronda, and just The tradition, drama and choreand a total eight years before they finally ography perfectly ghost town, with succumbed in Granada in 1492. combines on the not one person It made for a seminal photo, parcobbled streets of Spanish are not in the street. It ticularly given the sign next to emblematic Seteapproach- them, heralding the village one used to being was nil, famous for its ing dusk and of the 100 most beautiful vilmany cave houses cooped up you could hear lages of Spain. that nestle into the pin drop in They turned round surprised to folds of the landindoors unlike aa place where find someone else out at this scape. normally you time, approaching 8pm, on the Brits So to visit this agewould hear the Good Friday. old settlement sound of far- After posing for photos they exonce used by the away trumpets plained that the discipline in Romans to store their excellent and banter rumbling around its their town had been amazing local wine - at Easter 2020, narrow windy streets and the and that they were hopeful for an is one of the most disquieting classic sights and smells of Se- end of the lockdown on April 26. times of my life. mana Santa. Not only destroying the spirit of I knew it would be depressing to I took our normal route up to- the villagers it was a massive visit during the coronavirus lock- wards the Nazari castle and hit on the local economy that down, particularly given a recent Church of the Encarnacion at makes a good chunk of its annuarticle I had read that the village the top of the town, stopping to al income over the Easter week of 2,700 inhabitants had decid- take a picture of the empty town normally. ed to block three out of its four hall square that would normally “We need this to end, it is horaccess roads in and out. be rammed with the hundreds of rible for everyone,” he said, beTaking the decision alongside tourists waiting for the parades. fore strapping on his backpack other local towns, including Za- When I did finally catch the eye and heading off to spray. hara de la Sierra, tractors were of someone from a balcony he He was certainly right. The Spanbrought in to build roadblocks, immediately looked away and ish are not used to being cooped which would be manned 24 hours a day. Ostensibly checking the movements of anybody coming in - ensuring they had good reason to visit and were taking the
appreciative of what they have and certainly full of energy for the summer months ahead. As the bells of the church next to me chimed out 8pm, I immediately knew that things would be right again. After hearing the national anthem, I looked down and could see hundreds, maybe more, out on their balconies clapping and cheering and waving… a new
Easter ritual that went on for five, maybe, ten minutes. Clapping the bravery of the Spanish health workers, who have taken the brunt of this crisis, they hooted and cheered with optimism, albeit with a touch of weariness. And then suddenly it all went quiet… apart from the distant whir of the trio of men with their spraying machines.
Elegant sea view villa in Old Bendinat for sale. 7 Beds
5 Baths 620 m² - Constructed 1600 m²- Plot Pool €7.7m Ref: 19021
Luxury Mallorcan villa situated in Old Bendinat, one of the most prestigious residential areas of Mallorca. Boasting beautiful sea views from all living areas, this classical style property is beautifully presented with bright south-facing rooms and oak parquet throughout. Distributed over 3 floors, double lounge and dining room, 7 spacious bedrooms, master with walk-in wardrobes and private terrace. Nicely landscaped gardens, al fresco dining and delightful sea views over the pool. Just 10 minutes to Palma. CHANGE: From Easter 2019 to this year, while (right) spraying team and (below) procession in Setenil
Contact Amanda J Butler your one stop property advisor in Mallorca email: ajb@mjcassociates.net or tel: (+34) 690 075 169
LETTERS
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April 17th - April 30th 2020
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Vol. 5, Issue 120 www.theolivepress.es April 15th - April 28th, 2020
CLOSED: Easter was a total
shutdown in Spain with only
cleaners like this out on the
SHINING LIGHT By John Culatto
streets working, see report on
Photos by Jon Clarke
SEMANedA ell SANTA anc C2020
page 10
Gibraltar’s
coronavirus restrictions that these measures should not last a minute longer THE success of Gibraltar’s set an example for Europe and Spain than necessary,” said Chief lockdown has been an exMinister Fabian Picardo. ample to the world with cas- recovered from COVID-19 virus in on the same date as three el- suspectedGibraltar, with one “That is why, in Cabinet, we es at an all-time low. casualty later be- are already seeking Despite predictions of a big derly people at the Hillside ing confirmed to have been on appropriate exit to work peak in the middle of this home came close to being negative stratefor coronavirus. gies to lift the restrictions month, there were only 36 declared recovered. On going active cases on April 13, These figures were tak- down wasto press the lock- imposed as soon as possien from more than 1,500 ministers still active, with ble.” This week could prove with only one in hospital. suggesting that it a turning In contrast, 93 people had COVID-19 test results re- would continue until medi- continue point if figures ceived, with nearly 100 still cal advice suggested other- recovery to show signs of although there are to be processed. wise. fears relaxing restrictions The peak of active “Believe me when I tell you could see a second cases was reached I am committed wave of to ensuring the disease. on April 9 with 63 ongoing at the time, although there were also 60 recovered. There have been no deaths so far from the TWO locals
Lockdown crackdown
who escaped the lockdown in Gibraltar to go on a drunken spree have been stopped in their tracks by the long arm of the law. Ian McIntosh, 42, and Lizanne Golt, 37, were arrested for allegedly obstructing police while drunk on Lime Kiln steps. The RGP were called by residents in the area who said the pair were making too much noise. When they refused to budge they were told they were breaking COVID-19 social lockdown rules and taken to New Mole House in handcuffs.
Andalucia Issue 341 OLIVE PRESS
The FREE
ANDALUCÍA
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 13 Issue 341 www.theolivepress.es April 15th - April 28th, 2020
MUST LET US OUT! CARRIED AWAY: Easter was
Lawyer appeals to EU over ‘illegal’ lockdown claims that infringe civil rights and make Spain a ‘de facto dictatorship’
a total whitewash particularly
A SPANISH lawyer has complained to the European Parliament that By Dilip Kuner the country’s coronavirus lockdown rules are illegal. Jose Ortega believes the rules - which tion to the current state of alarm deare more draconian than other Euro- cree. “The government has illegally intropean countries, such as Germany, UK and Italy - are an infringementthe duced a very dangerous and disturbof ing system of suspension civil liberties. of individual rights that could be described as a The Valencia-based lawyer has sent de letter to the Human Rights sub-com-a facto transitional dictatorship,” insistmittee demanding that the basic right ed Ortega, who is best known for his of movement is added as a modifica- work opposing new coastal laws. The letter received by MEP Leopoldo
with cleaners like this on our
streets, see full story on page
10
Lopez, who sits on the sub-committee, focuses on the restrictions to trav- gency this is not possible, so therefore el and the right to basic ‘outdoor activ- depriving people of their rights. ity’, where risks of catching or passing The news comes, as it emerged that over 650,000 people had been fined on the virus are low. in Spain for breaking the rules of “It is an effective suspension of the right to free movement,” insisted the lockdown. Or- The majority of these were tega. for minor offences, such as not having a receipt “It is a fundamental right of the in- at a supermarket or walking dividual contained in the European a dog Convention on Human Rights and more than 200m from homes. in other international human rights In most European countries, includtreaties and, of course, in the Spanish ing Germany, the UK and France, citizens are allowed to take exercise Constitution.” outside their He added that un- Even in Italy homes. der Spanish law citi- demic, peopleat the height of the panzens had the right to exercise once were allowed to take appeal to the courts In Sweden, a day. against any clauses only prevent social distancing rules meetings of groups of in the state of alarm. more than 50 people. But as the courts It is however unlikely that the Eurohave all closed down pean Parliament will take any action as part of the emer- against Spain at the moment. MEP Lopez, of the PP party, confirmed to OK Diario that the sub-committee on human rights had received the complaint, but admitted that the procedure was wrong. He insisted that Ortega first had to send the letter to the Petitions Committee, which is the ‘competent body’ to register this type of citizens’ request. However, he has since replied to Ortega, saying that the committee is now ‘studying his case’.
Photos by Jon Clarke
SEMANedA ell SANTA anc C2020
Sharp eye
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You are the best newspaper I have read in years, not that I usually read the papers. I started with your free paper here on the Costa Blanca and quickly opted for online and email notifications as well. I love, love your reports. Lesley Griffin, Alicante
The history and culture of both Valencia and its inhabitants come alive in this great report, and shows us exactly why the Spanish are so beloved (A life under coronavirus lockdown in Valencia, Online, March 25). For an expat to pick up so clearly the strength of the spirit of Valencia, and to embrace and be embraced by its people shows a sharp eye, and I too look forward to his next special dispatch. Frehley Borland, Valencia
Evergreen
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Well done
Your paper and online service are much appreciated by the expat community. Keep it up. Good luck. Tony Hiom, Estepona
Informative
My partner and I are travelling in Spain. We arrived in Malaga on February 8 and stayed there before coming to Sevilla on March 15. As we don’t know Spanish, your paper has been a very important source of information for us during these extraordinary times. We enjoy your reporting and appreciate very much the extra hard work all of you have put into your meaningful task. We cannot thank you enough. Anita Chan, Hong Kong
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Tough love In Spain, police are really going in strong on the most trivial of offences, but I’m starting to feel it could be needed over here too (Army on the streets, Issue 340, pg 6). There was a chap on the news showing off that he was doing a workout in the park with his gang of mates. When asked by a reporter how come he’s not indoors, he answered: “Well I ain’t ill am I.” In Spain he would probably have been smashed in the face with a gun and then cuffed. Roger Portainer, Gibraltar
Hang in there Willie Spain has one of the best medical care systems in the world (Thorny future, Issue 340, pg 3). He’s better off here than the UK. Good luck Willie. Kevin Power, La Linea
Opinion Page 6
Friends.
Reset.
Music.
At OD Port Portals we have our own star rating. In fact, we have all the stars of the Mallorca sky and we will enjoy them all together every summer night at OD Sky Bar, on our spacious terrace and at our restaurant On Top. A hotel full of local experiences, music, art, gastronomy, yoga, pre-parties, flea markets, brunches, concerts, Pilates, tardeo, sea, sun and all the stars. A hotel full of life.
Horizon.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL F Castaway cooking 11
April 17th - April 30th 2020
OR the last few weeks they have been holed up in Granada following a coronavirus travel nightmare (Into the frying pan, Issue 340, March 16). But now British couple Yianni Papoutsis, 44 and Sophie O’Hara, 26, have turned lockdown into a culinary showdown. To kick off their new series of quarantine recipes for the Olive Press, the pair reveal their take on a classic Catalan fideua. Stayed tuned for more and check out their blog @nice.olation on Instagram.
UNDER LOCKDOWN: Yianni and Sophie in Granada
Fideua (Fidoowayoowaawaa)
S
ome time in January 2020 we found ourselves in Barcelona somewhat worse for ware and still starving hungry after a post breakfast ‘pre-esta’. Feeling a tad fraught at the prospect of having to deal with the complexities of ordering a la carte we reached out to Ella, our close friend and a Barcelona native. We needed both the liberating simplicity and the rejuvenating qualities of that most wonderful of Spanish institutions: a menu del dia and we needed it within staggering distance of our hotel. We were directed to Can Codina, a decades-old neighbourhood eatery in the Gracia district. Upon reaching the restaurant we were greeted by a modestly sized dining room packed with locals of every demographic, from builders to businessmen and glamorous yet faded actresses of yesteryear. Even before we’d been seated, Sophie’s ‘food-dar’ zeroed in on a huge bowl of pasta redolent of saffron and comfort. Deal done. The menu was scrawled on a bit of paper in Catalan, a language which much to our shame, we understand even less than we do Castellano. Through wild and highly embarrassing gesticulations we managed to identify the dish as what our addled brains heard as “fidoowayoowaawaa”, but is actually pronounced “fid-ou-ay-aa” and spelled simply, ‘fideua’. A simple one-pot stew, fideua can most easily be described as short strands of spaghetti cooked in stock
in a similar manner to that of a paella. It was a revelation. On returning to London we sourced some fideo pasta and started experimenting. Now we’re in nice.olation in Andalucia we’ve found ourselves returning to this dish time and time again in all its various forms, partly due to its ease of cooking and adaptability to all the fantastic local produce. This version, like everything we cook, is in no way authentic (so please, please, don’t write letters) because part of it’s charm is that it can be made with anything you have in your cupboards. At its simplest, a handful of vegetables, some fideo pasta and a stock cube will produce results way beyond what you’d expect. It can be made with any spices which you have to hand, (we’ve even had good results with curry powder for a kedgeree style meal), it can be vegan, or can be an ideal showcase for pretty much any seafood or fast cooking meat. It doesn’t need stirring (always a plus, particularly nowadays when you might be juggling multiple children, pets, spouses etc.) and the golden crust that develops on the bottom after letting it sit and cook over a low heat is the key to the dish rather than something to be scared of, just don’t cook it too high and let it go black otherwise it will be bitter. Go forth, experiment, and add as many ‘weeewoowaas’ as you like. And above all, enjoy.
Serves 2-3 Ingredients: · 2 tbsp olive oil · 2 garlic cloves, whole with skins on · 2 large bay leaves · 50g chorizo, diced (optional) · 100g pork loin, chicken or other protein, cut into chunks (optional) · 1 large carrot, diced · 1 stick of celery, sliced · 1/2 an onion, diced · 1/2 red pepper, roughly chopped · 1 long thin green pepper, roughly chopped · 225g fideo pasta · 750ml of whatever stock you have · 1 good pinch of saffron · Salt and black pepper to taste · 50g frozen peas · Lemon wedges to garnish
Method: Step 1
Fry the garlic cloves, bay leaves and chorizo (if using) in the oil in a wide frying pan over a medium heat. Brown the chorizo for one minute then remove it from the pan and set aside.
Step 2
Turn the heat up then and fry the pork (or other protein) until just browned (be careful not to overcook it at this stage). Remove the pork, set it aside then turn the heat down to a medium and fry the vegetables until the peppers and onions have started to colour.
Step 3
Pour the fideo pasta into the pan and toss it until it is all coated in the oil (about one minute).
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Step 4
Add the stock together with the saffron, reserved meat and chorizo. The liquid should just cover everything in the pan, if it doesn’t top it up with more stock or water. Stir to combine, add salt and pepper to taste, bring to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer uncovered for 12 minutes until almost all of the liquid has disappeared.
Step 5
Turn the heat down to low for five minutes then sprinkle the peas over the top, straight from the freezer. Do not stir it! Cover with a tight fitting lid and leave off the heat for ten to fifteen minutes. Garnish with lemon, and serve straight from the pan with crusty bread, homemade aioli and a siesta.
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
12
April 17th - April 30th 2020
Home grown Is Corona killing you? Take a tour of Spain's top gardens from your sofa, writes Cristina Hodgson
Star quality Not only is the connection with the natural environment vital to maintain Nature Deficit Disorder at bay, gardening itself can also relieve stress. An abundance of scientific research suggests that caring for plants can reap many unexpected health benefits. One hour of light gardening can burn 330 calories and also lower blood pressure as well boosting selfworth. The act of growing plants and interacting with flora can improve your mood and mental health. Dame Helen Mirren is a long-standing advocate of the benefits of gardening. She has confessed how a little of green therapy helps in keeping her “dark dragons” at bay. The Oscar-winner admits she can be plagued by anxiety but keeping herself busy in the garden helps her stay in a positive state of mind. The actress, who played Elizabeth II in The Queen, says that gardens and green spaces are vital to the planet, suggesting it should be included in the school curriculum to make sure future generations can benefit from the advantages of gardening.
Virtually walk through the Gardens of La Granja and indulge in the palatial atmosphere of three centuries ago. There you will find the impressive fountains of mythological influence. The Fountains of the Royal Palace of La Granja de San Ildefonso are one of the best known tourist attractions in Segovia. The Gardens of La Granja were ordered to be built by Philip V with the idea that they would be more important than the Palace itself. Designed by the engineer Merchán on a surface of 146 hectares, of which 67 are forest.
Putting a cork in it! IT is every wine lover’s biggest irritation. The moment you raise the first glass to your nose and get an aroma of… wet socks. Best known as a ‘corked’ wine, it comes from a chemical compound found in a small percentage of corks. Guaranteed to ruin even the hardiest of wines, an estimated one in ten corks are said to carry the so-called TCA taint. Now, one of the world’s biggest cork producers believes it has found a solution to the problem. Global giant Amorim - that produces stoppers from its huge cork oak estates in Spain and Portugal - believes it has found a way to get rid of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA). Scientists at the firm, based near Porto, claim they have found a way to stop the fungi present in natural cork from proliferating and ruining the wine in the bottle. Boss Antonio Amorim, 52, insisted that by the end of the year the company’s corks will have ‘a zero TCA risk’. The new process involves a secret substance and a use of steam, but as a patent is being sought, the company has yet to divulge how it works. Amorim - whose firm makes 5.5 billion of the world’s 13.2 billion corks - told the Revue du Vin de France, that it will
A new invention is set to help Spain and Portugal’s huge cork estates grow and thrive
make the process ‘more economical’ and bring down the price of corks. The company already offers a guarantee of non TCA corks, due to its so-called NDtech program, but the corks are seen as too pricey. The invention is seen as a vital battle against a range of other stoppers that have entered the market, from glass to plastic ones, as well as screwtops. However, fine wine makers across Spain, France, Portugal and Italy, still favour
corks as they allow the wine to breath and develop in the bottle. The discovery comes as it emerged that the number of wines using corks has risen by 600,000 bottles a year, while plastic stopper use has fallen by four million units. It is great news for the huge cork oak estates that straddle Extremadura, Andalucia and the East of Portugal. Key wildlife, including rare eagles, the Ibex and the Lynx wildcat are set to continue.
Acknowledged in 1943 as a “garden of historical and artistic interest”, the Botanical Garden La Concepcion in Malaga covers a total of 3.5 hectares. Located on the side of a hill, its landscaped layout comprises a series of waterfalls, streams, fountains, flights of steps, greenhouses, large trees and centuries-old palms, the latter considered one of the finest collections in Europe.
Enjoy a virtual tour around the Generalife Gardens, located at the foot of the Alhambra in Granada. Be delighted by its patios, its palaces and its architecture, which together form an intimate and peaceful atmosphere.
View the spectacular Gardens of Alcazar of the Christian Monarchs in Cordoba, where Julius Caesar himself personally planted different species of flowers and exotic trees. The major attraction of this royal fortress are its magnificent backyard gardens. Beautiful fountains, basins and well-cut hedges give evidence of innovative Moorish horticulture.
The Madrid Botanical Gardens were created following instructions by Fernando VI on October 17, 1755. In 1774, Charles III gave instructions for its transfer to the current site of the Paseo del Prado, where it was inaugurated in 1781. It is a secluded place in the centre of Madrid where it’s possible to enjoy nature and tranquillity. It is full of beautiful corners that incorporate more than two centuries of history.
OP Puzzle solutions
Quick Crossword
Across: 7 Yielded, 9 Erode, 10 Animals, 11 Frown, 12 Sweep, 14 Yardley, 16 Extinct, 18 Samos, 20 Cheer, 22 Blaenau, 24 Madam, 25 Overdue. Down: 1 Bypass, 2 Sediment, 3 Idea, 4 Performs, 5 Polo, 6 Teensy, 8 Dusty, 13 Panorama, 15 Lemonade, 16 Encamp, 17 Taboo, 19 Saucer, 21 Eddy, 23 Apex.
SUDOKU
A
S COVID-19 continues to predominate our news feeds and eclipse our daily lives, millions of people in Spain and around the world are learning to cope with the colossal changes. The confinement of people to their homes has caused a 'total disconnection' with the natural environment, a situation that 'can have negative effects on our well-being, especially on our state of mind,' according to landscaping design expert Fernando Pozuelo. This is a phenomenon known as Nature Deficit Disorder (NDD) which can lead to ‘lack of concentration, anxiety, stress or irritability’. But with the aid of technology we are able to connect once again with the natural environment. Gardens such as those of the Generalife in Spain or those of the Palace of Versailles in France make up some of the most beautiful natural spaces in the world which can now be enjoyed from the comfort of your own sofa during quarantine.
Give us €30 flights AS the Balearic Islands‘ tourism sector takes a multi-billion euro hit from the coronavirus crisis, a raft of proposals have been put forward to attract visitors to the region. The Association for Small and Medium Sized Businesses in Mallorca (PINEM) has asked that the Government introduces a flat rate of €30 on airline and ferry tickets between the Balearic Islands and mainland Spain. With the aim of boosting national tourism once the COVID-19 crisis ends, the association believes that this measure will help a suffering economy recover. Those able to benefit from this special price would hold a Spanish passport or be a resident of Spain. The President of PINEM, Jordi Mora, said that through this proposal, the region would become the ‘most attractive destination in the country this summer.’ It would also give the Spanish government a major drive in pushing national tourism, according to Mora. The president noted that Sardinia has already put a pricing plan in place to lure Italians from Rome and Milan once travel restrictions are relaxed in the country. With flights from €37 to €46, the initiative serves to minimise the economic blow of the virus and recover a tourism sector worth approximately €200 billion.
BUSINESS
13
April 17th - April 30th 2020
Doors closed By Isha Sesay
HALF of all hotels in the Balearic Islands have taken the decision not to open at all this year due to global coronavirus travel restrictions. At least 50% of hoteliers in the region will delay opening until 2021, the Balearic Hotel Association (ACH) which represents firms in Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera has said. The Balearics are already bracing for their biggest recession in history, following a predicted €1.8 billion tourism hit and 400,000 job losses in 2020 alone. It comes as airlines operating in the European Union have on average grounded 98% of their fleets. This was compounded by a recent Exceltur poll, which showed that 58% of Britons and 40% of Germans will now not holiday abroad this year. The fear of incurring heavy expenses that cannot be offset with the usual influx of tourists has led to a growing consensus among the hospitality, commerce and nightlife industries to delay opening until Easter next year. Hotel chains may decide to
Around 50% of hotels in some Spanish regions will not open this year
Ease it off
THE founder of Easyjet has slammed airline bosses, accusing them of ‘misusing taxpayer’s money’ by accepting a government loan. Easyjet is due to get £600million from the coronavirus fund, with Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou opposing the loan and urging executives to cancel the billion pound Airbus deal in order ‘for Easyjet to survive’.
Paper chase
open only one or two of their establishments from July 1 or September 1 to cater to a demand in a particular area. Reopening without clients can generate more losses than benefits, and there is also a contractual obligation to keep staff on for six months. Hoteliers in Mallorca have
now demanded tax breaks from the government and that municipal rates for the rest of the year be waived. Venues, like clubs, which are dependent on high concentrations of people to be profitable are also likely to be severely hit. President of the Association of Nightclubs in the Bale-
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aric Islands (ABONE) Jesus Sanchez explained that people could be reluctant to go out over fear of contagion. He said: “Outdoor activities, such as going to the beach or having a drink on a terrace, are likely to be less affected than nightclubs, where the concentration of people is much higher.”
THE Government has ruled that you CAN still leave the house to pick up your newspaper of choice during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown. Whether it’s the Olive Press, El Pais or Daily Mail you’re after, it is among the activities still considered ‘essential’ in Royal Decree 463/2020. Along with food, medication and other necessities, Article 10.1 specifies that people are still permitted to buy newspapers, despite many kiosks being closed. The Olive Press is found at many of our usual drops.
14
April 17th - April 30th 2020
HEALTH
HIIT the...lounge carpet Stay limber during lockdown with our 20-minute, high intensity, equipment-free workout you can do at home KEEPING fit and healthy is more important than ever as the nationwide lock-
down in Spain looks set to last until at least early May. A good HIIT (High Intensity Interv a l Training) workout gets the heart r a t e pulsi n g
and is great for circulation, breathing capacity and overall health. The effect of a good workout on your mental health can also never be underestimated, with a commitment to a daily sweata-thon providing routine and a hit of feel good endorphins. But with COVID-19 and the ensuing confinement to our homes taking us by surprise, not many of us have the luxury of a private gym or fancy equipment. In this spirit, we’ve programmed 10 HIIT exercises which will get you fit as a fiddle. Perform as many of each exercise as you can for a minute and take a minute’s break between each exercise. Remember to stretch afterwards. If you can’t do an exercise, replace it with jumping jacks, knees up or one you have fewer problems with.
1. Jumping jacks - Also known as star jumps, they are the perfect warm up. 2. Knees up - March on the spot, bringing your knees as close to your chest as possible. 3. Russian twists - Sit on the floor with your heels on the ground (or lifted if you’re able), place your hands on your chest and twist from side to side. 4. Plyo push-ups - Your regular push-up except you try to push your hands off the floor and land back in the push-up position. This can also be modified by going on to your knees while the uber fit can clap as they come off the floor. (If you’re finding it tough try pushups on your knees to begin with). 5. Burpees - Drop into a squat and place your hands on the floor in line with your feet, jump your feet out and in, then jump into the air - repeat. 6. Supermans - Lay on your front with your arms
stretched out in front of you, then lift your arms and legs at the same time, keeping them straight as possible. 7. Tuck-ups - Lay on your back with your arms stretched out by your ears, bring your knees to your chest then lay them back down. 8. Mountain climbers - Assume the plank position (similar to the push-up position but on your forearms), and bring your knees into your chest one at a time as fast as you can. 9. Lunges - Lunge to the left, being sure to keep your right leg straight. When your left leg reaches a 90 degree angle, hop on to your right side and repeat. 10. Squats - Stand with your feet shoulder width apart, put your arms out in front of you with hands clasped to help balance and bend your knees. Try to achieve a 90 degree angle, while keeping your back straight.
Keep calm and self-isolate
We are self-isolating for the health of the nation, but we must take care our own mental health, writes health correspondent Jeremy Kenton AS an osteopath in clinical practice for over 40 years, part of my daily routine with patients is to reduce anxiety. The anxiety can be from pre-existing pain, or the stress caused by our current confinement. This is obviously worse for those of you on your own, or those of you with a history of anxiety and stress. There is a chemical, physiological reason for what is happening when you’re anxious, and that is a raise in the stress-causing hormone cortisol. Thankfully, cortisol levels can be helped by a number of methods: - The simplest method is by using a simple breathing technique – this can be used during the day or in the evening just before you go to bed, and even if you wake during the night because of anxiety. - Begin by breathing out through the open mouth for a count of seven, then breath in through the nose for a count of five, then breathe out for seven, and keep repeating. - Remember to also eat well and to exercise during this period of self confinement. - There are a number of people doing live video exercise classes on social media and it’s a good idea to get involved. - It’s very important to distract yourself during the day and not to feel guilty about watching a series on Netflix, digging out those old CDs and DVDs, listening to music, or even sorting out all those old photographs you’ve accumulated over the years. - Try to avoid the news and only watch it once or twice a day to avoid making yourself feel even more anxious. - Establish a routine and don’t fall into the trap of sitting around in your dressing gown all day. - Get up, take a shower, get dressed and involve yourself in
HEALTH APPOINTMENt By Jeremy Kenton
any kind of activity that will distract yourself. - Do something absorbing, read a book – or even write a book! Learn to play musical instrument, learn to paint, or anything you’ve been putting off. - You can interact with old friends and make new friends, even if it means shouting from one balcony to another. - Most importantly, think positively, as we all know in a few weeks this will be over and we can get back to some degree of normality. Stop fearing the worst. - Financial stress is obviously something we are all concerned about, but now we are locked away there is a little we can do about it. - You can make plans regarding mortgage or rent payments and utility bills with the providers. When you contact them, on the whole, they are sympathetic because they are in the same position as you. So to summarise: Establish a routine Distract yourself Eat regularly and well Exercise Use breathing exercises Speak to your pharmacy or doctor for medication if you really cannot cope Talk to your friends or neighbours Avoid the news Learn a skill, paint, draw, an instrument or even learn Spanish Self absorb yourself in an activity. You will be amazed how quickly the time will vanish Watch happy films Read or even write a story Stay positive Keep smiling, keep safe and stay happy
Blood brothers THE first therapy gaining ground in the fight against coronavirus also happens to be the oldest: the transfusion of blood plasma from recovered patients into patients still suffering. The technique worked on previous coronaviruses, such as SARS and MERS, and was also used successfully against the Spanish Flu of 1918. Madrid’s Puerta de Hierro Hospital is currently testing the therapy on 300 patients from across the country. While the world waits for a vaccine, researchers believe the therapy could be vital to save lives in the meantime. The logic is simple: plasma already contains antibodies against COVID-19 should defeat the coronavirus in the new patient.
COLUMNISTS Quarantine blues
15
April 17th - April 30th 2020
Terenia Taras Telling it like it is
If lockdown’s driving you crazy just have a little patience (but purlease don’t post that song online) writes Terenia Taras INSTEAD of stockpiling toilet rolls we should have been storing up our inner reserves of patience and selflessness because that’s certainly being tried and tested at the moment. But really, is it so bad to stay in for a short period of time? One of the best lines I’ve read throughout the coronavirus crisis is, ‘our grandparents were called to arms, we’ve been asked to just sit on our sofas’, which I’m sure you’d agree that in comparison is no real hardship. But by week three of lockdown and we’ve exhausted all the small DIY tasks, decluttered our cupboards to make space for all those loo rolls, and we’re all beginning to moan about how bored we are. It kind of feels a little like Christmas because we’re all at home just eating and drinking - except that Santa has been replaced by the Grim Reaper. There’s not really much else to take pleasure in right now and so what if we eat half that cake we just baked! We’re also bingeing on box sets, films, more box sets, checking in to catch the latest depressing TV news updates, then back to the box sets in despair. POSERS: Celebs with Marigolds
We jump on the latest TV or film recommendation from friends as one of the few forms of escapism from the real-life apocalyptic film we’re all actually living in. But there are only so many books you can read, box sets you can watch and cakes you can bake before the boooooordom returns. There isn’t the spare money and definitely not the mindset for shopping online because those of us who do still have an income are maybe having to support their partner who has lost theirs. Also, none of us know how long this may go on for so we’re all being super thrifty and fashion just seems so frivolous right now! And where would you wear it? Hence, in pretty much the same way bored celebrities do, we take to social media to share the minutiae of our lives. But do we really need to see posts of famous people wearing Marigolds just to prove they’re like the rest of us who have to clean our own toilets. If these people really want to help, then please make a hefty donation to all the real stars who have gone mainly unrecognised up until now,
When you take out an advertising campaign with the Olive Press, you get a lot more than just the printed newspaper te l ee ia 00 si Fr tor 0,0 eb i 1 w ed ur ay o -d in r-a to si
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INSPIRATION: Take That can help us get through this the nurses, doctors, specialists, delivery drivers, supermarket shelf stackers and anyone else who is helping to keep this crisis from spilling over into something even more unimaginable. Like everything in life, we will move on from this, so instead of all the daily negativity and boredom we should try and look beyond the here and now to the time when we can press the play button on life again. And maybe having had waaaaay too much time to think, we might just come out of this for the better, valuing what really matters, which is people instead of our relentless, selfish pursuit for more. In the words of Take That, ‘just have a little patience’ because we will get through this - without cute coronavirus renditions of that song online, LOCKED DOWN: Terenia and partner Paul thanks!
@tereniataras
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Nude awakening A HUSBAND and wife in their 50s have been arrested for taking a naked swim at the beach in Puerto de Pollenca. The skinny-dipping duo were snared for ‘civil disobedience’ after an offduty Guardia Civil officer stumbled upon them as he walked home. He reported the couple to his superiors and a Policia Local patrol was dispatched to the northern port town. Upon arrival, officers ordered the pair to get out of the water and put their clothes back on.
It’s a miracle!
MALLORCA
A HAMLET in the region of Castilla y Leon has registered its first birth in 64 years. Victor Gonzalez, 34, and Viviana Palacios, 38, are the proud parents of baby Ivan who weighed just under 4kg. This birth was the first in Valcuende since 1956. The new family, who own a farm and keep cows, chickens, rabbits and pigs, are understood to be healthy and have all tested negative for coronavirus.
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 3 Issue 78 www.theolivepress.es April 17th - April 30th, 2020
Back off nutty fines A MAN fined for going out to buy Nocilla (Spain’s alternative to Nutella) has seen his fine rescinded. Minister Fernando GrandeMarlaska announced the reversal for the fine in Elche. It comes as it emerged beer had seen a massive 78% rise in sales during the first week’s of the lockdown. Yet, police were videoed ‘punching’ a young man carrying beer on a street, after tell-
Man sees fine for buying chocolate spread repealed
ing him it was ‘not a primary need’. Grande-Marlaska insists local police forces around the country should stop issuing and using lists of what is acceptable and what is not. It comes after the Guardia Civil in Javea created a list of 26 ‘acceptable’ foodstuffs, 16 non-
Raising the roof
Sand storm
A POLICE helicopter has swooped in on a lone beachgoer during the coronavirus lockdown in Spain. Policia Nacional officers landed on the shore of a beach in Valencia before escorting a man away. Footage of the incident was recorded on the Tavernes de la Valldigna beach. Officers in the helicopter had warned the man, who was walking topless along the shore, to return home.
edible products, as well as 12 services that justified someone leaving the house. Grande-Marlaska wants regional authorities to apply the state of alarm rules – in particular to stop residents travelling to second homes – but not to infringe citizens’ rights.
A BRITISH expat has sung her heart out from a balcony to cheer up her local town. Classically-trained opera singer Claire Marie Harkness-Post, sang to her Moraira neighbours
on Saturday to a rousing response. The teacher at Lady Elizabeth School was inspired by Good Samaritans helping others during Spain’s coronavirus lockdown. Despite five years directing the Costa Blanca Male Voice Choir, she said it still ‘felt silly’ singing from the balcony. “I just wanted to lift people’s spirits,” Claire-Marie told the
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Olive Press. “But I got a really nice response – I could hear clapping and cheering from across the valley. “My neighbours texted, asking, ‘was that you? When’s the next concert?’” Claire-Marie is set to sing every 4pm on Saturdays. She dedicated her rendition of You Raise Me Up to health workers across Spain.
Samurai wannabe A TOPLESS man has threatened the police with two swords in Madrid. The Policia Nacional were called to the scene when the 45-year-old started brandishing two katanas and was threatening whoever tried to approach him. According to El Pais, he shouted “I am going to kill you all, you sons of bitches”. The riot police were then called to help with the arrest as he was deemed dangerous and eventually he was arrested and taken to Moratalaz police station.
