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Frontier closed - but not for all! SPAIN has closed its land borders with Gibraltar, France and Portugal. From midnight on Monday, the only people allowed into Spain from Gibraltar are cross-frontier workers, returning Spanish residents and those who have a justifiable reason to enter the country. Despite the blockade being one of the objectives of the Vox party in the last elections Chief Minister Fabian Picardo stated it was not a ‘politically motivated’ move. “I am satisfied that the measures being adopted are not politically motivated against us," he said. "We have had it confirmed that workers needing to come across the frontier will be able to do so." Despite initial fears about long queues on Monday, there were no problems with frontier flow and everyone was able to get to and from work without any problems. "We advise people to have copies of their employment contracts with them if possible," continued the Chief Minister. "Additionally, we are also satisfied that there will be no effect on the supply of goods across the frontier for our supermarkets and grocers and, most importantly, for our Health Authority.”
GIBRALTAR
Solid as a Rock EXCLUSIVE By John Culatto
NEARLY half of all Gibraltar residents tested for coronavirus have been given the all clear. And two out of three confirmed victims have so far recovered. The remaining case, an elderly person, is ‘in hospital but is only mildly unwell’, according to Chief Minister Fabian Picardo. It comes as the government confirmed that of 100 people tested, some 49 have been given the
STOPPING the virus before it spreads is better than waiting until it is too late, according to the Minister for Public Health. John Cortes said it was a case of acting early to nip the problem in the bud. “This is the time to take measures against the virus,” Cortes told the Olive Press, this week. “If we wait until we have many cases before we take measures then we would be wasting our time. “If we are successful and we delay it, we are going to be criticised and asked why we took this action in the first place.” The minister praised the Gibraltar Health Authority (GHA) for diverting resources to handle the number of victims.
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Vol. 5, Issue 118 www.theolivepress.es March 18th - March 31st, 2020
A stitch in time
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“The GHA has 87 beds available and we are taking more measures to increase that number,” he revealed. “In terms of personnel we have called for retired doctors and nurses to come forward and make themselves available. “We have also increased the Intensive Care Unit capacity by 500%.” Last week’s visit to London has led to the promise of UK help if needed. “The Chief Minister asked the Prime Minister if it was a possibility to bring more personnel from the UK,” he said. “Boris has confirmed the UK will do everything it can to send support if we request it in detail.”
It has been the fastest moving story in our 14 years of publishing... and we have hardly stopped to draw breath. Over a MILLION people have visited our site over the last few days - tens of thousands of Gibraltarians thanks to our coverage of the coronavirus online with hourly updates globally throughout the weekend.
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Majority of coronavirus victims in Gibraltar have recovered as half of tests come back negative all clear, while 48 results are still pending. Of those who have so far caught the virus, none of them had been abroad recently so they have been listed as ‘community transmissions’. Acting Medical Director Krish Rawal confirmed the GHA would soon be able to test patients on the Rock rather than send them to the UK. “We are in the process of obtaining all the equipment,” said Rawal. “The analysers and chemicals arrived yesterday. “Now we need to calibrate those machines and train our staff. “Within the next week or ten days we should have our own in-house testing. “We’ll then be able to test and deliver the results on the same day.” He said this could mean that the drivethrough testing area at the old Rooke site could be ready by the end of the week. “There is a certain level of uncertainty with this because we do not have a history with this virus,” revealed Rawal. “The statistics are showing it’s very clear that for those under 70 it turns into just a normal cold with flu-like symptoms that will incapacitate you maybe for a couple of days. “However, for those over 70, Covid-19 can be a high consequence disease with a severe impact.” There are currently 24 beds with ventilators available for Covid-19 victims, with more on the way. The GHA has also trained up medical staff from every department to be able to deal with a greater quantity of cases.
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Crisis special, p2-7
# 177
It is, of course, a horrorshow for # 245 all of us with businesses in tourism, retail or catering. But we are all in the same boat and now you are all stuck at home, trying to stay healthy, we are working even harder to ensure we keep you up to date on the latest news from around the country. News on the spread of the virus, what you can and cannot do, and plenty of ideas on how to get by at home. Remember with the Olive Press online you are not alone. It is not for nothing we are now in the world’s top 10,000 most visited websites (see above) and in the top 250 in the UK and 50 in Gib. Our team of over a dozen writers are out and about making sure you are abreast of everything you need to know...visit:
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