Coronavirus

Balearics one of the regions closest to control of the virus

While the number in the Balearics is below one, it isn't in most of Spain. | Miquel À. Cañellas

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma03/04/2020 16:14

There are six regions in Spain in which the coronavirus epidemic is said to be receding most rapidly and where control of the virus is closer than other parts of Spain. The Balearics is one of these six; the others are the Basque Country, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Extremadura and Murcia.

According to data from the Carlos III Health Institute in Madrid, the evolution of the virus in the Balearics and the other five regions has a basic reproduction number (R0) that is below one. This variable reflects the average number of new cases generated by a primary case throughout a period of infection. The higher the number, the more difficult it is to limit the spread. For the Balearics, this figure is 0.94. The lowest of all, ten tenths less, is in Cantabria.

The national average remains above one, which means that an end to confinement will still be some time away. Fernando Simón, the director of the Centre for Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies, has said that a progressive end to limitations on movement can only be contemplated once R0 is below one. There are some places where this has shot up, especially Castile-La Mancha, Galicia and the north African city of Ceuta.