Coronavirus and Fallas... is there a problem?
Both yesterday and today we have received messages from people asking about the situation and we have been waiting for a reliable update from the council. This is so we can avoid any unnecessary media hype, which was the case yesterday.
But this afternoon the Valencian Health Authorities released the following;
“There is no danger, but concern”. This is how the Valencian health authorities face the threat of the coronavirus. “Although there have been no cases in the Community, the Italian situation worries us about the arrival of the Fallas”.
Hoteliers, hostels and all other sectors involved in the party are waiting with uncertainty for the development of the virus. This has already claimed 6 fatalities and more than 200 infected in northern Italy.
In Valencia the alert is not surprising since it is an area very frequented by travelers from the Italian capital. In addition, less than a week ago, many Valencia CF fans traveled to the epicenter of the coronavirus to support their team in the Champions League round of 16 match against Bergamo Atalanta.
Could the fallas be suspended?
While the carnivals of Venice have been suspended to avoid crowds and the greatest risk of contagion, now the question is whether the same could happen in Valencia.
So far the authorities have assured that there is no imminent danger. However, the City Council is already working on preventive measures. From the session, reports will be requested from Health to assess the risk levels of COVID-19. In addition, CSIF has asked the Citizen Protection and the Local Police for an action protocol. The objective is to know how to act if a case of coronavirus occurs.
From CSIF they have also insisted on the importance of taking measures in the face of the risks during the festival.
Remember that this Sunday will be the first mascletà and the Cridà where hundreds of people are expected to attend. They ensure that the protocol "is essential so that all agents know how to act before large crowds of people and can perform their work with the utmost professionalism."
As preventive measures indicate "the acquisition of masks, gloves and any other type of material that may be of help for a possible emergency"!
And although for the moment everything will running as usual and nothing seems to indicate a suspension of any acts, there is the possibility of a tourist descent to be expected expected.
In the 2019 Fallas, Valencia received 233,021 Italian travelers. It was the highest number of foreigners since behind it was Holland (144,318 travelers), United Kingdom (117,061) and France (84,202).
Although there is still no cancellation data, the agents of the sector already point to this drop in the influx for Fallas. From 7Televalencia; “we have spoken with Miguel Jiménez, president of the Valencian Business Association of Travel Agencies. He has considered that, "the Italian market is going to go down."
Less Italians will come and it is a very important market for Valencia. However, there is the rest of Europe where there is no problem and therefore there should be no cases of travel suspension, "he said. "The coronavirus will affect something but hopefully as little as possible," he concluded.
We will of course keep you updated on this matter but as it stands there is nothing to worry about and, importantly, mainland Spain hasn’t had a single case of the virus confirmed.
***
Update @ 16.29
The Department of General Health has confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Catalonia. This is the fourth case confirmed in Spain after the three patients detected in the Canary Islands.
The secretary of Public Health, Joan Guix, will give more details at a press conference this afternoon accompanied by the manager of integral processes of Health.
Presidency and spokesman of the Government, Meritxell Budó.
https://www.facebook.com/vlcfallasenginfo/posts/869300270252007?__tn__=K-R
Both yesterday and today we have received messages from people asking about the situation and we have been waiting for a reliable update from the council. This is so we can avoid any unnecessary media hype, which was the case yesterday.
But this afternoon the Valencian Health Authorities released the following;
“There is no danger, but concern”. This is how the Valencian health authorities face the threat of the coronavirus. “Although there have been no cases in the Community, the Italian situation worries us about the arrival of the Fallas”.
Hoteliers, hostels and all other sectors involved in the party are waiting with uncertainty for the development of the virus. This has already claimed 6 fatalities and more than 200 infected in northern Italy.
In Valencia the alert is not surprising since it is an area very frequented by travelers from the Italian capital. In addition, less than a week ago, many Valencia CF fans traveled to the epicenter of the coronavirus to support their team in the Champions League round of 16 match against Bergamo Atalanta.
Could the fallas be suspended?
While the carnivals of Venice have been suspended to avoid crowds and the greatest risk of contagion, now the question is whether the same could happen in Valencia.
So far the authorities have assured that there is no imminent danger. However, the City Council is already working on preventive measures. From the session, reports will be requested from Health to assess the risk levels of COVID-19. In addition, CSIF has asked the Citizen Protection and the Local Police for an action protocol. The objective is to know how to act if a case of coronavirus occurs.
From CSIF they have also insisted on the importance of taking measures in the face of the risks during the festival.
Remember that this Sunday will be the first mascletà and the Cridà where hundreds of people are expected to attend. They ensure that the protocol "is essential so that all agents know how to act before large crowds of people and can perform their work with the utmost professionalism."
As preventive measures indicate "the acquisition of masks, gloves and any other type of material that may be of help for a possible emergency"!
And although for the moment everything will running as usual and nothing seems to indicate a suspension of any acts, there is the possibility of a tourist descent to be expected expected.
In the 2019 Fallas, Valencia received 233,021 Italian travelers. It was the highest number of foreigners since behind it was Holland (144,318 travelers), United Kingdom (117,061) and France (84,202).
Although there is still no cancellation data, the agents of the sector already point to this drop in the influx for Fallas. From 7Televalencia; “we have spoken with Miguel Jiménez, president of the Valencian Business Association of Travel Agencies. He has considered that, "the Italian market is going to go down."
Less Italians will come and it is a very important market for Valencia. However, there is the rest of Europe where there is no problem and therefore there should be no cases of travel suspension, "he said. "The coronavirus will affect something but hopefully as little as possible," he concluded.
We will of course keep you updated on this matter but as it stands there is nothing to worry about and, importantly, mainland Spain hasn’t had a single case of the virus confirmed.
***
Update @ 16.29
The Department of General Health has confirmed the first case of coronavirus in Catalonia. This is the fourth case confirmed in Spain after the three patients detected in the Canary Islands.
The secretary of Public Health, Joan Guix, will give more details at a press conference this afternoon accompanied by the manager of integral processes of Health.
Presidency and spokesman of the Government, Meritxell Budó.
https://www.facebook.com/vlcfallasenginfo/posts/869300270252007?__tn__=K-R
) : Er worden helemaal geen maatregelen genomen tijdens Fallas voor het Coronavirus en ik roep iedereen op om hypochondrie te vermijden. ( angst voor ziektes ).