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Vol. 13 Issue 341 www.theolivepress.es April 15th - April 28th, 2020
Photos by Jon Clarke
Semana d e l l e Santa c n a C2020
CARRIED AWAY: Easter was a total whitewash particularly with cleaners like this on our streets, see full story on page 10
MUST 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 modifica-
By Dilip Kuner
tion 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 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. “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 emer-
gency 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. It is however unlikely that the European Parliament will take any action 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’. Opinion Page 6
CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
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NEWS IN BRIEF
Drug bugs POLICE have detained a man in Vitoria for breaking lockdown to buy drugs, with a search revealing he was carrying five and a half grams of methamphetamine, in addition to €300 in cash.
Cash boost THE Junta de Andalucia has unveiled a €40 million fund to pay 150,000 autonomos €300 each to cover April’s Social Security contributions.
Cockfight POLICE have fined 32 people at an illegal cockfight in Malaga during Easter weekend, with dead animals found and €7,390 in betting cash seized.
Bad Friday A TRIO of penitents have been slapped with €1,000 fines after they held a mock Semana Santa procession in Alhaurin de la Torre on Good Friday.
Fightback A TOTAL of 67,504 coronavirus patients have recovered in Spain, second globally only to China, which has seen 77,738 people beat the virus, with Germany third on 57,259.
April 15th - April 28th 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
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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
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CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
April 15th - April 28th 2020
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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.
PLIGHT: Homeless man walks past Bomberos preparing to disinfect care home
FACING UP British expat wants to help tackle the shortage of face masks in Spain A BIG hearted British expat is trying to create a production line of face masks in Andalucia. Markus Oz, who lives in Malaga, has been trying to reme-
Can’t alter the rules Bald gesture 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.
Our heroes POLICE in the Guadalhorce Valley were overjoyed when dozens of children sent in pictures to brighten up their police station. The Guardia Civil headquarters in Alhaurin el Grande is now awash with paintings of rainbows and drawings of children with words of encouragement such as ‘thank you, heroes’.
By Dimitris Kouimtsidis
dy the huge shortage of face masks around the country. As well as import masks from TWO expats have found a hairbrain way to raise money during the lockdown. Lesley Horn, 71, from Canada and partner Andrea Underwood, 70, from the UK, have shaved their heads and are taking bets on how much will grow back by the time they are allowed out again. The former healthcare workers are asking big-hearted expats to donate to their Homeless Entrepreneur ‘bold bald’ campaign. The pair, based in Jerez, have also vowed to donate €8 each per centimetre of hair that grows back.
China, he also wants to set up his own production line to make masks and distribute them. Oz, 55, from Yorkshire, has over 15 years experience dealing with the Chinese manufacturing industry and has had similar companies in the UK. “I don’t want to make any money from this... I just want to help,” he told the Olive Press, from his home in Malaga. “As someone who knows about manufacturing, I feel like I can help. “I have contacts in China that can get me millions of N95 masks on a regular basis, for as little as €1.20 per mask,” he added. However, the semi-retired businessman wants to go a step further and set up his own production line. “I’m willing to invest well over €100,000 to import the machines, ones that can produce up to 150 masks per minute and start manufacturing as soon as possible,” he vowed. However despite sending numerous emails and calling various business consultants and accountants in Spain, he hasn’t received a reply. “I just want to help battle the shortages caused by the pandemic, but I’m not being given any help or guidance because I’m not a part of the ‘boys club’ like Amancio Ortega.”
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 50-year-old World Central Kitchen founder 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.
Wedding surprise 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. After announcing the cancellation, two 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 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.
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CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
dr dolots
April 15th - April 28th 2020
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.
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.
Mask task 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.
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CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
April 15th - April 28th 2020
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APPLAUDING: Medical workers clap a patient who survived the virus at a hospital in Catalunya
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.
T PA ES EX RO HE
WE NEVER CLOSE
Continuing our series on Expat Heroes, we take a look at Age Care, a charity supporting elderly Brits on the Costa del Sol THEIR motto is ‘we never close’ and it is a promise that is putting to the test one of Andalucia’s best known expat charities. With the COVID-19 lockdown in full swing - and particularly important for pensioners - the charity is working harder to keep its members connected and offering support. Being by nature a ‘social group’ , it is, therefore, imperative that, when in confinement, everyone is stimulated mentally and physically. The charity which has many big-hearted helpers is making regular telephone calls, as well as sending out twice weekly bulletins with updates, jokes and recipes (on Tuesdays and Thursdays to correspond with the regular
coffee mornings, which are now on hold). They have also set up a video link, where people can talk to, and see their friends. As part of the Alzheimer’s and Dementia Group they are also offering their services to these vulnerable people with shopping and pharmacy trips, as well as hospital appointments.
SMILING: A street sweeper on Barcelona’s famous La Rambla
The charity covers five areas, including Calahonda, Fuengirola, Coin and Benalmadena. Calahonda is the largest with nearly 200 members and 20 volunteers, led by Lesley Berridge. She has a Client Information Volunteer who has been invaluable for re-arranging medical appointments and liaising with the authorities. A crowdfunding page has been set up to make up for the shutting of the two key charity shops. In Benalmadena, its welfare leader Nigel Foster is regularly contacting his 20 members by phone to check they are ok and to offer emotional support and to help combat loneliness. All his other volunteers are back in the UK. Constance Denooij is the welfare leader in charge of the Guadalhorce valley, which has 48 active members, and four volunteers and three drivers helping out. Ray Mynott keeps an eye on the 80 clients in the Fuengirola area, usually with nine volunteers, and is doing a lot of shopping trips. The charity’s emergency helpline is available 24/7 on 0034 635 407 255
Photos by Mike Riley
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CORONAVIRUS SPECIAL
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Spanish flu, part 2
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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
Joshua Parfitt joshua@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 Ayamonte on gry with me, they understood hostel after a the border in a my need to find a place to stay Overcome with two month renbid to catch a for a while. Yet as nice as they ovation, 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 few- “I sat on a bench in the de- Ayamonte. Policia Nacional longer carry on travelling and er 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 15th - April 28th 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 question: Liberty Loan parade in Septem- 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 beUSA territory’s Naval Governor, Barry revealed to the New York- came part of the regular human-borne winter influenza John Martin Poyer, who heard er in March. reports of a deadly pandemic “St Louis, however, imposed all that carries lower death rates on the radio and immediately sorts of social distancing mea- and, more recently, can be imposed a maritime quaran- sures and had a much better vaccinated against. tine. 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 heaworld to control for further vier death tolls in the USA, outbreaks until the virus Portugal 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
T
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 Google-translated 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 skyroc1- UKketsearches 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) coronavirus lockdown ‘to be exten4- Spain’s ded another 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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Hash and grab A GANG of ‘fake’ Guardia Civil officers has robbed €50,000 worth of cannabis from a rival gang. Armed with ‘large guns’ the group of hooded men rocked up outside the home in La Barca de Florida, near Jerez, with their number plates covered and sirens blaring. The footage, handed to the Olive Press by local police shows how they ransacked a garage full of weed before fleeing. Videos showed buds of marijuana littering the streets, as stunned residents came out to investigate. Guardia Civil and Policia Nacional units were scrambled to the scene, but the gang had already made their getaway by the time officers had arrived.
OTHER NEWS
April 15th - April 28th 2020
Great week for lynxes
Out of bounds
Smash and nabbed POLICE have arrested a gang of thieves who committed 57 robberies along the Costa del Sol. The gang of ten, all in their early 20s, stole from churches, golf courses, supermarkets, restaurants and jewellery stores. An incredible 40 robberies took place between September and November last year, always at night and professionally using ‘sophisticated techniques’.
UNSPOILT: The San Joaquin sugar factory, near Nerja, is on one of last ‘virgin’ parts of the Malaga coastline
Campaign aims to see off developers of a multi-million golf macro-project on protected land
HUNDREDS of expats have joined a mass petition against a golf megaproject on virgin land near Nerja. So far 2,500 local residents have signed the petition that opposes the construction of 680 homes, various hotels and a golf course on
By James Warren
protected land, in Maro. They believe the development, which was first put forward in 2015, is unsustainable and will be damaging for the area. Moreover, they are furious that the new plan, supported by Nerja town hall, was introduced during the COVID-19 lockdown. The scheme, which is being backed by the wealthy Larios family, centres on the protected 19th century San Joaquin sugar factory. Its plot on the Tetuan de Maro plains is also currently protected as an area of Cultural Interest (BIC), which means it will have to be rezoned by both Nerja town hall and backed by the Junta. Developers Sociedad Azucarera Larios SA want to create a luxury golf resort on the 250 hectares of land. It has withdrawn its original AA-53 Pago de las Mercedes plan and now reintroduced the new ‘La Fabrica Maro Golf’ scheme. The project was originally backed by PP mayor Jose
Armijo in 2015, just weeks before the local elections. It has been opposed by many local groups, including Ecologistas en Accion, which described it as ‘one of the last undeveloped, virgin areas left on Malaga’s east coast’. Now the platform Otra Nerjo y Maro es Possible aims to collect thousands more signatures to have the project scrapped. It is demanding that Nerja does not ‘mortgage the future of the town’ and concentrates instead on sustainable development for the region.
Irreversible
“It will be an irreversible change for this scenic and cultural part of the coast and it is totally irresponsible of our political leaders to be backing it,” it continues. In 2014, the Olive Press backed a campaign to block the huge planned La Coladilla golf project in Nerja, which was being part funded by George Soros. Nerja is one of the few coastal towns in Spain that still allows its sewage to go into the sea, due to a continued failure to build a sewage works.
A RECORD eight Lynx cubs have been born in just one week. The octuplets arrived as part of the Iberian Lynx Captive Breeding Programme in Doñana National park. A total of three cubs were born to Nota, while another three were born to Narsil at the El Acebuche centre, in Almonte. Another female Gitanilla gave birth to two cubs. It is great news for the endangered species which was close to extinction a decade ago, with little more than 300 examples in the wild. There are now believed to be over 1000 lynxes around Spain, the majority spread around Andalucia, primarily in Donana and in the north of Cordoba, near Andujar. A good number are also now living in Jaen, while the species has proliferated into Extremadura and Castilla la Mancha, as far as Toledo. Researchers at the centre perform regular gestation tests, via a technique to determine whether a female is pregnant developed at Leibniz Zoo in Berlin. It takes into account the levels of prostaglandin in the faeces. Apart from captive breeding and demographic management of the captive population, the Iberian Lynx Ex situ Conservation Programme prepares the captive-born animals for release.
Smoked out A BRITISH expat has been arrested after a fire broke out at a home where he was installing a makeshift marijuana lab. The man was arrested after firemen and police attended a fire at the property in Estepona. After attending to a number of his flatmates for smoke inhalation, they discovered the set up he was assembling in the basement. As well as industrial heat lamps, they also found smoke extractors, pots and electrical transformers. The 27-year-old has been charged with illegally tapping into the local electricity grid.
10
April 15th- April 28th 2020
LA CULTURA
Semana Santa
W
E would normally get there an hour before, parking a kilometre out of town and battle our way through the throngs to get to a good vantage point in the bustling main square. With a glass of ice cold fino and a media-racion de gambas, we would wait patiently for the penitents to arrive, along with
EASTER DISPATCH: The ritual and theatre of Semana Santa has been packed off to Spain’s sitting rooms, with the sound of distant drums subsiding for spraying machines, writes Jon Clarke on the most unusual Andalucian Easter in history Jesus and Mary and, the highlight... a squadron of soldiers from Ronda’s nearby Foreign Legion cuartel. This has been our Good Friday ritual at Semana Santa for much of the last two decades. Away from the usual tourist trail, Setenil de las Bodegas, at Easter, is as authentic as anywhere else in Spain at this time of year.
The marching bands, the smells, the pointy hats and above all - the tattooed and disciplined soldiers, with their guns and songs about valour and death. It is the highlight of the year, hands down, for most local Andalucians. A time-worn ritual that is rehearsed for months ahead and signifies the start of the tourist season.
Cancelled
DESERTED: Streets where Foreign Legion and parades normally pass The tradition, drama and cho- excellent local wine - at Easter reography per2020, is one of fectly combines the most disquion the cobbled eting times of my Locals had streets of emlife. blematic Setenil, blocked three I knew it would famous for its be depressing to out of four many cave housvisit during the es that nestle access roads to coronavirus lockinto the folds of down, particularthe landscape. ly given a recent the town So to visit this article I had read age-old settlethat the village ment - once used of 2,700 inhabby the Romans to store their itants had decided to block
three out of its four access roads in and out. Taking the decision alongside other local towns, including Zahara de la Sierra, tractors were brought in to build roadblocks, 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 correct precautions - this was a village-led decision to keep out the virus.
Light and shade Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey
This is a sweet and sad novel about Maud, an elderly woman with dementia, trying to find her friend Elizabeth who she is convinced is missing while at the same time remembering her sister’s unsolved disappearance 70 years previously. It is an enjoyable and easy read with characters that you really warm to. Although there is a mystery element, the story mainly focuses on following Maud on her disjointed investigation as she frustrates, amuses and insults the people around her. If you are looking for something easy, intriguing and amusing then this is a good option. The Bookshop San Pedro, www.thebookshop.es
2020
LA CULTURA
11
April 15th- April 28th 2020
On the face of it, somewhat sinister, a sort of China-lite idea to monitor the movements of anyone and everyone, it was justified by the fact that just 5kms up the road was the town of Alcala del Valle, where over 100 people have so far caught the Covid-19 infection, with up to half a dozen having died. But I was to find none of this. My drive from Ronda was totally unimpeded and I saw not one car during the 25 minute
journey. I arrived to find no roadblocks and a total ghost town, with not one person in the street. It was approaching dusk and you could hear a pin drop in a place where normally you would hear the sound of faraway trumpets and banter rumbling around its narrow windy streets and the classic sights and smells of Semana Santa. I took our normal route up towards the Nazari castle and Church of the Encarnacion at the top of the town, stopping to take a picture of the empty town hall
square that would normally ly, slowly sanitising the streets be rammed with the hundreds with antiseptic from hose of tourists waiting for the pa- packs strapped to their backs. rades. Well one of them was working When I did fiwhile the other nally catch the two were simeye of someone Spanish are not ply taking in the from a balcony majestic scene he immediately used to being below, looking looked away and down on the facooped up melted back inmous, historical doors. town that was indoors unlike It was not, in finally seized fact, until I got by the Cathothe Brits to the very top of lic kings from the town, where the muslims of I finally bumped the Kingdom into people. Three, in fact, of Granada in 1484, a year dressed top to toe in hazmat before Ronda, and just eight suits and masks, and careful- years before they finally succumbed in Granada in 1492. It made for a seminal photo, particularly given the sign next to them, heralding the village one of the 100 most beautiful villages of Spain. They turned round surprised to find someone else out at this time, approaching 8pm, on Good Friday. After posing for photos they explained that the discipline in their town had been amazing and that they were hopeful for an end of the lockdown on April 26. Not only destroying the spirit of the villagers it was a massive hit on the local economy
Photos by Jon Clarke
CHANGE: From Easter 2019 to this year, while (right) spraying team and (below) procession in Setenil
that makes a good chunk of its annual income over the Easter week normally. “We need this to end, it is horrible for everyone,” he said, before strapping on his backpack and heading off to spray. He was certainly right. The Spanish are not used to being cooped up indoors, like us northern Europeans with our frequently inclement weather. They are a sociable nation that needs to get out and talk to each other, to play in the streets, to laugh and to joke and be seen, as they are every evening for paseo. This lockdown is killing them and they will come out on April 26, a different people, hopefully more 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.
12
April 15th- April 28th 2020 Check out our issues online at www.theolivepress.es
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Readers share their support and donations for Olive Press, which continues to provide regular updates throughout the crisis
Mallorca Issue 77
Top of the pile LEAVERS: Trio of Brits in Spain SPANNING COMMUNITIES: The Olive Press is the number one free paper in Spain and Gib
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THE COVID SURVIVAL ISSUE
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Vol. 5, Issue 119 www.theolivepress.es April 1st - April 14th, 2020
Dance your way to business success at home see p6
The best new TV shows to get you through the lockdown
While the army is on the streets, 8000 have died, millions of jobs are lost and everyone is on a four week lockdown, there are...
see p11
LIFE OF BRIAN: Always look
on the bright side of life
...REASONS TO BE CHEERFUL Global warming reverses
From Joe to Ulysees... the Top 10 tomes to catch up on see p12
Price of petrol is down
Infection rates slowing
Wuhan’s back to work
New shelves finally up
Bees are buzzing
Already weeded the garden
The best nearby escapes once the lockdown ends see p15
Quarantinis in abundance
Parking spaces everywhere
Kane and Son will soon be back
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April 2 - April 15, 2020
Dance your way to business success at home see p6
While the army is on the streets, 8,000 have died, millions of jobs are at risk and everyone is on a four-week lockdown, there are...
The best Spanish shows to get you through the long days at home see p10
LIFE OF BRIAN: Always look
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us are exa political lly, as of essentiaSome Mijas EU,Pueblo. from the writing sees I’m Moore Rose donkeys of the The ... pg 7). the situation Issue 325, worried and proud, tremelyhip (Leaveabout dictators etc. fed, states, they .being sovereign are 28 after, how isthey Therelooked opposite the are reality found to have been know, s, as you to become Their condition ly chose voluntari the UK, which including past. the in would horrific UK be the that believes Dunne Steve d. associate cases. some more to going so. I’minnot Nothovels terms.dirty WTO dark, on than better fairLittle during tied and up stand to forced been they Have chapter and letters page by quoting weigh down your n so lockdow thisSteve durationndofthat the whole the We intofar? looks but I recomme verse, ion for us some informat you can obtain would hope Trump That knows. he that industry any of specifics being. as to their well UK should anifEU-free withbe to get a trade is trying could be pressure would ul it deal How wonderf deals trade Trump’s know: to want you you all to tellbrought ere. somewh turn them outside forthey speaks Mahler Brent Finally, before have to go weeks many may have ownerslabels. TheUS-first EU armed force of an wary citizens to UKanimals a number again. work their can put of However can give you ideas help are ever closer te any, these and apprecia really union. Weanwould by gspecific floated this. people and not EU policy. I am regardin of proyears more worried at the insidious 40-plus Mijas Jones, Vicki paganda against the EEC/EU by the Mail, Telegraph, did What Sun. The donkeys course, and, ofyou Timesthank for your letter. The Express, ED: Hi Vicki, anhe was whybasis forsoexercise he was regular when out on aasked saytaken Murdoch are being public I go into to occupy of: “When the linespay g along the owners the taxes ti-EU? and Somethin Council EU.” The to theMijas I goyear. for this cancelle I say:dwhen bewhat willdo space 10 they No. for the the foodent! subsidis toask for aneappointm looking had to heways is also on is thatat implicati donkeys to ensure that they don’t go hungry.
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
I really like the Olive Press. My dad worked for the Washington Post in America for 33 years. I know the importance of good quality reliable news. Thank you for your great work guys/gals. I will be making a donation. Robert Gertson, Valencia
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
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.
Has anything piqued your interest in this week’s Olive Press? Have your say on the matter by emailing letters@ theolivepress.es or message us on at www.facebook.com/OlivePressNewspaper or Twitter @olivepress
Kevin Power, La Linea
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) 17 “Raiders of the Lost Ark” actor
OP Sudoku
Gibraltar Issue 119
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
Sharp eye
--- Elliott (7) 19 Chatter (7) 20 Broken rock for road repairs (5) 21 Killed (4) 23 Find the answer (5) 25 Posed (3)
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April 15th- April 28th 2020
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FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL F Castaway cooking 15
April 15th- April 28th 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.
British chef and his girlfriend launch exciting recipe blog as they remain stranded in ‘nice.olation’ in Spain due to COVID-19
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).
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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April 15th- April 28th 2020
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.
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
Home grown Is Corona killing you? Take a tour of Spain's top gardens from your sofa, writes Cristina Hodgson
Star quality
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.
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.
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.
History, adventure and romance. That’s just the setting.
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.
Join us for a celebration of history, art, heritage and pageantry in a unique part of the world.
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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.
FOOD,DRINK & TRAVEL
17
April 15th- April 28th 2020
Putting a cork in it!
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.
The Gardens of the Palace of Versailles just 19 kilometres from Paris, were created by King Louis XIV and are the ‘best example of a French-style garden’. They were declared a World Heritage Site in 1979 by UNESCO.
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.
A new invention is set to help Spain and Portugal’s huge cork estates grow and thrive
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 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 u s i n g 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.
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April 15th- April 28th 2020
BUSINESS
Doors closed
Ease it off THE founder of Easyjet has slammed airline bosses, accusing them of ‘misusing taxpayer’s money’ by accepting a government loan to buy new planes, partbuilt in Spain. 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’.
IN Some Spanish regions half of all hotels have taken the decision not to open at all this year due to global coronavirus travel restrictions. At least 50% of hoteliers in the Balearic islands will delay opening until 2021, the Balearic Hotel Association (ACH) which represents hoteliers in Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera has said. Meanwhile 25% will remain shut on the Costa del Sol, according to the Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs of the Costa del Sol (AEHCOS). 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
Around 50% of hotels in some Spanish regions will not open this year
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. Hotel chains there may decide to open only one or two of their establishments from
July 1 or September 1 to cater to a demand in a particular area. The Costa del Sol and the rest of Andalucia has already felt the bite of a decimated hotel trade during Semana Santa. In Sevilla alone, the expected
A Beatle and a businessman A FEW months ago I mentioned a two-day course I attended in London last December, the start of my training to become a Registered Life Planner with the Kinder Institute of Life planning, which is
the most recognised and long established organisation of it’s kind in the world. Its founder George Kinder is internationally recognised as the father of the Life Planning movement, and has himself been a practicing financial planner and tax adviser for 40 years. I then went on to write how my father’s death inspired me to become a financial planner, helping people ensure their money didn’t run out before they did, yet also having the life they wanted with the money they had. A strong desire to enhance my skills as a financial planner, led me to decide to continue my training with the five-day residential EVOKE™ course. With the outbreak of coronavirus it looked like my progress was to be temporarily halted, as the course in the UK I was due to attend had to be cancelled. However, in a world first I am pleased to say that I have just completed the course online via Zoom with six other pioneers, all highly qualified and experienced financial planners from the UK. Life Planning connects the dots between our financial realities and the lives we long to live. The Kinder Institute’s tools and training make it possible for trained financial life planners to help individuals cultivate a Life Plan designed to deliver the most meaningful kind of freedom: The freedom
tourism loss from this most important week of the year has been put at around €400 million. AEHCOS President Luis Callejon Sune said: “This volume of hotels will never be able to lift their heads again.”
Paper chase 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.
Chartered Financial Planner Jonathan Holdaway has just completed his Life Planning course on Zoom - and is quoting Ford and Lennon to beat COVID-19 to pursue life’s passions, wherever they may lead. EVOKE ™ stands for the five stages for developing a life plan – Exploration, Vision, Obstacles, Knowledge & Execution. Most of the life planner’s time will be focused on working at a deep level in the first three of these, then using their knowledge and experience in financial planning to deliver – or execute a life plan for a client. Before starting to develop their life plan, I will ask my client to do some ‘homework’ – including writing down as many of their life goals as possible, broken down into short, medium and longer term goals, as well as their ‘heart’s desires’. I will also ask them to answer three key questions. In the Exploration meeting we are trying to create a framework where the client is eager to pour forth everything that might be remotely significant to creating their financial life plan. Vision is where their life goals and heart’s desires will be explored along with their answers to three questions, the majority of the time being spent on the last one. They are powerful questions – particularly the last one, as it encourages people to have a good look at the most important aspects of their lives, and it has inspired thousands of people to start new careers, take early retirement from their businesses and have experiences they will remember
the rest of their lives. The third Obstacles meeting is where the rubber meets the road. Henry Ford said that ‘obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal’. This could not be more pertinent in the current pandemic, which is currently ruling most of our lives. The Obstacles stage is often the most exciting – it’s where things really begin to happen. Where all the excuses we had for inaction, all our apologies, doubts and regrets, all our resentments, blames and complaints not only fade away but are actually transformed into action – action on all the things we care about most in our lives. Naturally the successful execution of the life plan will depend on certain action steps being accomplished at certain times – any slippages in either of these crucial elements may put the whole plan at risk. John Lennon once famously said ‘life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans’. Recognising the truth in these words of wisdom, financial life planners know that the final plan really may not be final at all. This is why they will regularly ‘check in’ with their client to ensure they are staying ‘on course’ to meet their goals and dreams as there will undoubtedly be changes in their lives and new obstacles will invariably crop up. In the current climate there has never been a better time to create your life and financial plan, so once we are through this coronavirus crisis you will be in a great position to move forward in a life that inspires and rewards you.
Jonathan now has an office Malaga, which can be found here: Alameda Colón, 9, 1, 7. 29001 Málaga, Spain Contact me by telephone or email for a free virtual ‘discovery’ meeting. Call me on +34 654 898 303/+44 77230 27864 or email me at jonathan. holdaway@chasebuchanan.com
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April 15th- April 28th 2020
We’ll take your homes A NEW ministerial order has been passed by the Ministry of Development allowing regional governments to force private landlords to rent out empty homes. This would be done to help victims of domestic violence, those who have lost their homes, the homeless and other vulnerable people. Regions have to make available ‘publicly owned housing’ for these people. However, when that is not available, ‘the aid may be applied to privately owned housing.’ Governmental sources according to Vozpopuli acknowledge that it empowers administrations to directly contact owners to make homes available to these ‘especially vulnerable people’. The landlords would then collect the aid that the governments would be giving these people as a form of rent payment. These are grants of ‘up to €600 per month and up to 100% of the rent or occupancy price of the established property’, which in some cases can be raised to €900. This comes after the municipal government in Barcelona expropriated an empty house for the first time in June 2019 from a bank, which it compensated with the amount of €10,000 for a period of 10 years, according to El Pais.
Parklife THE number of people house hunting in Malaga has barely declined since the COVID-19 lockdown kicked in. The proportion of Idealista users searching for a new property in the province has slumped from 27.6% in Jan-
uary to 24.1%. Other big cities have also seen slumps, with searches in Madrid going from 63.2% to 60.8% over the same period, Barcelona, 51.3% to 49.1%, and Sevilla, 56.7% to 53.7%. Idealista’s head of studies, Fernando Encinar, said the thousands of professionals now working from home have realised they could ‘live further from large urban centers’. He added: “Many Spaniards have realised that they live in a house that they do not like and that they would rather live in less central areas in exchange for having more space, more light, gardens or terraces.”
PROPERTY
Gotta get out of this place WE all know where we are and where we’ll be for some time longer, so I won't dwell on that. But what are your plans for when we are ‘released’? It's bound to be gradual, but eventually there will be a day when we can have breakfast and coffee at a bar, then lunch in a restaurant and meet the mates in the evening. Attitudes are going to be different and we will all be tested and tested again, until we’ve all had IT. Even then, the tactile among us will find it strange as we all make Buddhist style bows. Maybe these guys had dealt with a few viruses in the past! Property plans will all depend upon the resumption of demand. The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveys (RICS), which regula-
tes the work and ethics of Survey Spain, have a nice way of putting things at a time like this when there is little sales evidence. They request valuers incorporate in their reports the phrase, ‘material valuation uncertainty’. Now there’s an understatement for you! I’ll tell you where we are. We will be continuing to provide valuations based upon discounted asking prices, and agreed sale prices where these are supplied by pre-acquisition building survey clients and other reliable sources. We consider that these will reflect the current market more accurately than if we were relying on comparison to historic valuations or registered sales. However, having carried out considerable research for our Quarterly Report, which will be ready in a few days’ time, some agents and some lawyers
What are your plans after Covid? Asks respected Malaga surveyor Campbell Ferguson, of Survey Spain are reporting deals being concluded, if the notary can be persuaded that it's essential and urgent. In addition, people in Northern parts of Europe are still surfing the internet and deciding that they, and often their family, have ‘gotta get out of this place’, as soon as possible. They have had time to reflect on life and many will be realising that their ‘work/life balance’ is wrong, and that they don’t have to be tied to an office, a commute and a strict 9 to 5. If they’re British they’ll also know that Brexit (remember that?) is going to happen sometime soon, and if they want to move to an EU country, they’d better get researching where and how, now. So, Survey Spain’s plans are to let everyone know that we are here. Yes, many buyers in Spain do have a survey before they put their money down.
We are marketing our experienced professional snagging services to new build buyers, before they finally sign. Many might not be able to fly here for some time, but we are now allowed to go out and inspect property on their behalf to make sure that the construction complies completely with the details of the agreed specification, quality and finish. In addition, expert witness valuations will continue to be required for disputed property values in the courts in UK and many other countries where RICS valuations are demanded. We are looking forward to working again. It's what we’re here for. Email us at admin@ surveyspain.com or call 00 34 952 923 520
The Property Insider le by Adam Nea
‘Real estate’ will live up to its name and hold firm during the current meltdown, predicts Adam Neale
T
HE short-term market prospects for Spanish residential real estate look set for an extended period of uncertainty while Spain and our neighbours in Europe focus on containing the coronavirus pandemic. There are good reasons, however, to be confident that demand for property on the Costa del Sol will rebound quickly and the market will make a solid recovery. Yes, there has been an immediate stagnation in property sales, as notaries around the country have been advised to postpone the signature of all deeds while the state of emergency is in force, except for limited ‘urgent’ cases. So although we continue to receive enquiries from clients who want to arrange property viewings once the lockdown is over, we can expect no transactional movement for the foreseeable future. In contrast to the financial meltdown of 2008, this is very different. During that crisis, banks, businesses and even individuals suffered consequences (provoked, some would argue, by the ill-informed choices of greedy financial
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April 15th- April 28th 2020
Safe as houses institutions). This time, most nations and especially those in the EU acknowledge the epidemic as a natural disaster that affects everyone. In principle, at least, governments are committed to ensuring that societies and economies do not fail, whatever it takes. Moreover, during the 2008 crisis Spain, and particularly the Costa del Sol, suffered the bursting of a bubble that had been forming for several years, with record levels of construction and credit in the form of highly leveraged mortgages. This is certainly not the case now. The market is not vulnerable as it was in 2008, new construction represents a much smaller share of the overall property market and banks have been cautious with lending. For these reasons, in the medium term, the demand for residential property in southern Spain, and coastal areas like Estepona, Marbella, Benahavís and Sotogrande in particular, is not at risk from drastic market correction. Of course there will be some who are forced to sell for personal reasons but in general, it’s likely that things will pick up again, albeit slowly, when normality returns. Compared to shares and bonds, which have posted record losses in recent weeks as the coronavirus epidemic has evolved, property is a tangible asset that can be used
or can provide a return, even in a worst-case scenario. Homes can be rented out, generating income for the present and accruing value for the future. Investing in property, whether it’s a main residence, second home or part of a portfolio, buys you something that exists and, irrespective of market rises or falls, is a solid shelter for savings, especially over time. There’s a good reason it’s called ‘real estate’. In the longer term, as COVID-19 reminds us, life can be all too short. We moved to Spain two decades ago, to raise our family, build a business and make the most of the wonderful place we call home. Once life returns to normal, the country will remain a great place to live and spend time for those lucky enough to own property here.
Terra Meridiana, 77 Calle Caridad, Estepona • 29680 • Tel: +34 951 318480. Office Mob: +34 678 452109 Email: info@terrameridiana.com. Website: www.terrameridiana.com
MORTGAGE THINK TANK by mortgage broker Tancrede de Pola
What ‘mortgage holiday’ means THE Spanish property sector has been as affected as any other by the coronavirus pandemic. Although things haven’t been completely shut down as with bars and restaurants, we have seen the usual stream of new inquiries pretty much turn into a trickle. But I am hoping there will only be a temporary blip in the market once things start opening up again. In any case, the banks are still lending, we are still processing mortgages and notaries are still signing mortgage deeds – albeit at a slower pace, and mainly just for sales considered ‘urgent’, and organised via prior appointment. There are various practical issues with new applications. One of the main obstacles is physically getting the valuer out to value the property due to the restrictions on freedom of movement. Meanwhile there have been reports of lenders asking buyers for assurance that their company is not applying for ERTE.
The Finance Bureau’s Tancrede de Pola looks at the mortgage break rules as the Spanish property sector battles on Workers in industries severely hampered by COVID-19 – like hospitality – may be less likely to pass banks’ risk analysis tests to qualify for loans than before the crisis. This is not because the tests are any different – they have remained the same – but because people who have lost several months income or, even, their jobs, may not pass banks’ ‘scoring’ systems due to their reduced income or new employment status. However, there is positive news for existing borrowers. On March 17 the Government announced by Royal Decree a ‘moratorium’ or ‘mortgage holiday’ for residents struggling with payments. The rules are roughly as follows: - The first and most important things to understand is that this is not a ‘holiday’ but merely a deferral. Mortgage holders will be required to make up the shortfall when normal service resumes and this will mean higher
monthly repayments until the amount deferred is made up. - The period of deferral is likely to be available for three months, although there is a possibility this will be extended to six months. - It is only available to residents on their primary residence. It is not available to non-residents with a mortgage on their holiday home. - Mortgage holder income must be less than €1,600pm and monthly commitments, including the mortgage, must exceed a third of income. The deadline for mortgage holiday applications is understood to be May 3, although it could yet be extended by the Government. The Finance Bureau has more than 15 years’ experience in finding expats the best deal possible. We will help them make sure they’re avoiding the many pitfalls associated with buying abroad, especially during the current crisis.
To contact Tancrede for all your mortgaging needs call: 666 709 743 or for insurance queries call: 951 203 540 Email: tdp@thefinanacebureau.com The Finance Bureau Centro Commercial Guadalmina, 2nOffice No. 7 Guadalmina, 29670
HEALTH
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April 15th- April 28th 2020
HIIT the...lounge carpet KEEPING fit and healthy is more important than ever as the nationwide lockdown in Spain looks set to last until at least early May. A good HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) workout gets the heart rate pulsing 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 sweat-a-thon providing
Stay limber during lockdown with our 20-minute, high intensity, equipment-free workout you can do at home 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
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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.
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worked on TV3’s Ireland AM as a stylist for over a decade and left my beloved Ireland for sunny Spain in 2016. I opened Joffrey’s restaurant in La Cala de Mijas with my partner, Joffrey Charles, a splendid French chef. Channel 4 television filmed with us for six months for their programme, A New Life In The Sun, aired in early 2017. Life as a newly minted restaurateur was exceptionally difficult but nothing prepared me for the news that came in September of 2018. Joffrey noticed a lump under my right arm. I waved his concerns away, taken up with pushing the business ever forward but the lump continued to grow and he insisted I attend a clinic. That was in August. I was referred to Costa Del Sol Hospital in Marbella in September and at that appointment, all hell broke loose. I had 15 cancerous tumors in my right breast. I immediately had to have a mastectomy followed by eight months of chemotherapy, then a month of radiotherapy. Some nights I could see angels as Joffrey cradled me in his arms. Our amazing
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Quick Crossword
Down: 1 Steamer, 2 Argon, 3 Insurer, 4 Ugh, 6 Doodles, 7 Likes, 8 Ashy, 12 Libya, 15 Outlast, 17 Denholm, 19 Prattle, 20 Metal, 21 Slew, 23 Solve, 25 Sat.
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.
Pluck of the Irish
I
Across: 7 Spacious, 5 Idol, 9 Edges, 10 Hassock, 11 Mongrel, 13 Yells, 14 Rho, 16 Rabid, 18 Sip, 20 Maths, 22 Amnesia, 24 Travels, 26 Owlet, 27 Lots, 28 Stampede.
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
Locked down from critical cancer tests after a mastectomy and eight months of chemo, La Cala restaurateur Lisa Burgess finds her Irish British Resistance
SOLID: Chef Joffrey and Lisa
restaurant had to close. on behalf of expats in Spain I am supposed to have my to safeguard their healthcare tests in early April 2020 with rights before Brexit. I haven’t a meeting scheduled with to date received a reply from my oncologist in Marbella on Number 10. April 15. But I still haven’t The Spanish system is unbeen told if it’s der siege, I on or off. The am awaiting Spanish have instructions on This Irish been extraorattending those dinary to me, tests to see if British helping me as I have beatResistance much as possien cancer but ble with my brothere is no word fighter will ken Spanish. I yet. Spaniards battle boldy on are dying at a am now a whiz at Spanish medrate of knots, ical terms with a they are the prilittle help from Duo Lingo. ority, not me. I have self-isoWhen my treatment finished lated for over four weeks and I flew to London, filmed by I have decided to concentrate Channel 4, and handed in a my efforts on helping others. petition at Downing Street I am writing to the media here
in Spain, the USA, and Ireland. Especially for the Olive Press newspaper which can be relied upon for thoroughly researched and sourced material. There is so much misinformation out there and it’s causing people to panic. I am trying to stop this on all my social media accounts. Chef Joffrey has opened a new business this month called ChefJoffrey@Home on the Costa del Sol with all appropriate licenses and sanitary conditions. His first customer was a wonderful Irish friend, Lynn Branagan Cronin who needed a night off from cooking. Chef Joffrey will deliver a free meal to the elderly every week in our community, and more as business increases. My new nickname from an eminent journalist is ‘IBR’ the Irish British Resistance. I must do my bit, as must we all in these dire circumstances, while relying on my native sense of humour to see this through. My grandfather, Ned Burgess, was an Irish politician and Mayor of Cobh; my Irish mother, Ann Burgess, was a fierce activist; and my British brother Michael fought AIDS to the very end without complaint. My darling departed mother, who battled cancer bravely as we nursed her at home, often reminded me of this poignant James Joyce quote: “Better pass boldly into that other world, in the full glory of some passion, than fade and wither dismally with age.” Likewise, this Irish British Resistance fighter will battle boldy on, quill at the ready.
COLUMNISTS
23
April 15th- April 28th 2020
no action! Lockdown MIJAS MATTERS By Bill Anderson
Even Baldrick had a cunning plan but local expats are suffering from a distinct lack of anything like one, writes Mijas Councillor Bill Anderson THIS is a difficult article to write. We are in our fourth week of quarantine, and for many it is starting to bite. I don’t mean in terms of having our basic necessities, but in terms of isolation for many people. I spent many years in the UK as a national government policy adviser and worked directly with three local authorities in central Scotland, an area stretching from the Atlantic coast to the North Sea. I remember now, with a degree of nostalgia, the days that were set aside for dealing with Emergency Action Plan drills. Why? Because it has become very clear to me that Spain was not ready, in any way, for what we are facing. I am not criticising the action that has been taken, only that it came a week too late. International Women’s Day on March 8 should never have been allowed to go ahead, as doubtless it contributed
thousands to the coronavirus infection count. But what concerns me more is that my own local Council had no plan for a State of Emergency. What they have been doing for the last month is fire fighting, not proactive management. As a foreigner on the Council, I could have contributed my 20 years of experience in Britain’s Social Services to help manage and prepare for this situation. So why haven’t I? Quite simply, because I am not in government. And Spanish politics has not yet reached the point of acknowledging the skills within the Council, only those within their own party. So, while they run around trying to deal with the Spanish residents, I feel like I am single-handedly trying to inform, respond to and bolster the international community in
Mijas on a daily basis - about a third of the local population. I have been in close contact with an association which works with the elderly in Mijas. I have been shocked by how they have been passed from department to department simply to seek Council approval for 10 drivers to make a weekly groceries delivery to the 170 elderly people they work with. I would add that I have also been passed from person to person trying to help them. Having an Emergency Action Plan already in place would have resolved this in an instant. But we didn’t have one. I am not just criticising the Mijas government, as I think this experience will have been mirrored in many councils across Spain. If I am criticising anything it is the unwillingness and inability to really work together, draw on experience and come up with good and creative solutions. There will be many lessons from this quarantine experience, and I hope with all my heart that they will be learned well. But that takes men and women with small egos and big hearts, and that is what concerns me most … In the meantime, I remain at the service of the International residents of Mijas.
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and Out
Giles Brown has had enough of the virtual breathing workshops and online psychobabble
HOW are you all doing out there? Now that this lockdown lark has turned from quaint novelty to monotonous slog, how are you handling all that time you have on your hands. It’s been an interesting couple of weeks in Marbella. It seems that most of the population has resorted to live streaming their activities. Every time I switch on social media my phone pings with invitations to yoga sessions, breathing workshops (in rather bad taste at the moment, if you ask me), live music performance, fitness classes or one-onone psychotherapy. I wisely steer clear of these. I am, after all, the man who put the word psycho into psychotherapy. I famously once interviewed a ‘corporate business psychiatrist’ - wood panelled practice in Swiss Cottage, power dressing - who was so alarmed by my, ahem, ‘eccentric’ attitude to life that she suggested that I come and see her as a private patient. I was sorely tempted to live stream my own morning ritual, of course. What could be more inspiring than the sight of a 50-something male in a hooded dressing gown muttering obscure rock lyrics to himself as he sparks up the first cigar of the day, arcanely prepares that vital first café solo and holds a one way conversation with the cat? “If thou gaze long into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into thee”, as Nietzsche, who I would bet was also a cranky fecker before his morn-
ing coffee, famously said. So I haven’t gone live on Facebook. Apart from that, the only other part of my morning routine is a little Primal Screaming as I check what is laughingly referred to as my bank account. (I’ve come to the conclusion that the Seguridad Social’s S.S. initials are more than apt), and inspecting the development of my quarantine beard. Having left my clippers at my girlfriend’s place and being barred from said apartment due to the fact that she takes this social distancing thing very seriously, I’ve been unable to trim my facial hair and I now look like a bald, bargain basement Grizzly Adams (below). At least, that’s what she gives as her reason for not seeing me. “It’s not you, it’s the pandemic” could be the greatest ‘Dear John’ excuse of the year…
OLIVE PRESS
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No walkabouts! LOCALS in Estepona were thrilled when they received a message saying they could go out in various streets to exercise. Supposedly sent from the town hall, the WhatsApp message insisted they could go out in groups of two, as long as they wore a mask. They were also told to keep 1.5m apart and only walk in five designated streets, including Calle Real and Calle Terraza. Unfortunately local police have now confirmed that the note was in fact a hoax and anyone found outside would be fined.
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Vol. 13 Issue 341 www.theolivepress.es April 15th - April 28th, 2020
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.
Breaking point Samurai wannabe
A WOMAN has been arrested TWICE today for violating the coronavirus lockdown by stripping naked in the street before mounting a police car. The 41-year-old was first cuffed at around 8.10pm in the Adolfo Suarez plaza in Torremolinos. Police had been alerted by concerned neighbours who reported a woman running naked in the street during the daily clap for healthcare
Sand storm THIS is the extraordinary moment a police helicopter 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. The image is from footage recorded on the Tavernes de la Valldigna beach. The officers in the helicopter had warned the man, who was walking topless along the shore, to return home.
SINGLE IMPLANT
Lockdown pressures laid bare as residents break lockdown workers. The Spaniard was swiftly arrested and taken to see the on duty judge after police managed to persuade her to put her clothes back on. According to local reports, she was then released before immediately taking her
clothes off and going on another streak. It comes after a Finnish expat was arrested in Malaga for breaking lockdown rules and running around in his birthday suit. Policia Nacional officers arrested the man in Fuengirola and charged him with repeated disobedience, as this was not the first time he had been caught breaking lockdown. The police received a call from a worried neighbour saying that a man was running around without any clothes, shouting he had coronavirus. Officers descended on the scene and located an ‘aggressive’ man who ignored their instructions, so they arrested him and charged him.
IMPLANT BRIDGE
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.
IMPLANT DENTURE
