Hi all, I thought I would share this interesting piece from one of the Spanish newspapers I read, I was able to find the English version so no need to translate. It compares and contrasts the deescalation strategies of the two hard-hit Mediterranean countries, particularly in relation to the return of international tourism in each country. Some excerpts:
Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis, Spain has followed Italy’s steps with a week of difference. The measures taken in each country to slow the outbreak, such as the closure of schools, the declaration of the state of alarm and the total shutdown of the economy, have been in sync – up until now.
While Italy has reactivated almost all business activity in the country and will open its borders to tourists on June 3, the Spanish government has decided on a more cautious route. Under Spain’s deescalation plan, travel within the country will not be allowed until at least the end of June. Health authorities have indicated that the summer holiday season will start later this year and be focused on domestic – not international – tourism.
There is enormous pressure from the tourism industry of both countries. But where the Italian government has decided to risk opening its borders to mitigate the economic fallout of the crisis, Spain believes the threat of a spike in new coronavirus cases is too high. Spain has not specifically set a date to reopen its borders to tourists, but has just recently introduced a 14-day quarantine for international travelers, which will be in place until at least June 7, when the current state of alarm is set to end.
The Italian prime minister, Giuseppe Conte, has prioritized the country’s economic recovery over health concerns against the recommendations of some government epidemiologists. The deescalation process in Italy has also been left in the hands of regional authorities. This is in stark contrast to Spain, where the central government controls where and when confinement restrictions are eased. This allows the government to ensure that only regions judged by health experts to be ready to move to the next phase are able to do so, but it has also led to a fierce battle with Madrid regional authorities, who have taken their fight to move to Phase 1 to the Supreme Court.
“In Italy there is a lot of pressure from the tourism sector. Here as well, but we are opting for prudence. They are assuming a very high risk,” explains a member of the government. “In tourism, you are gambling with your reputation. We want to be considered a safe destination again. And to do that, there is nothing better than avoiding a step back that would destroy our image.”
Another member of the Spanish Cabinet agrees: “It does not make sense to make the gamble for just a few more weeks. We have our deescalation plan and we are going to maintain it [...] There will not be any movement between the provinces until all of them pass all the phases [...] No one would understand why a Spaniard is unable to visit their mother in Galicia while a German national can go to their house in Mallorca. That is not going to happen.”
You can read the full article here: https://english.elpais.com/society/2020-05-21/as-italy-prepares-to-open-borders-to-tourists-spain-opts-for-caution.html