Visiting relatives has become virtually impossible.

Visiting relatives has become virtually impossible. | Pixabay

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma08/04/2020 13:13
TW
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Millions of Spaniards are asking themselves when they will be able to visit relatives again. When the state of alarm was declared last month, it was made clear that family members could visits relatives who needed care, be they elderly, minors, people with disabilities or especially vulnerable. But given the travel restrictions, going any real distance to visit relatives became virtually impossible.

Some hypotheses are being made regarding the gradual lifting of the confinement measures. These suggest that people under the age of 45 and those who are now immune to Covid-19 could be the first for whom there is something resembling a normal life. The second group would be people between the ages of 45 and 65 who are not immune. The final group would be people over-65 who are not immune. Visits to family members could follow the same pattern, meaning that visits to elderly relatives would remain very restricted. These are, it has to be stressed, just hypotheses; the Spanish government hasn't given any indications as yet.

For people in the Balearics who have relatives on the mainland, the situation is more difficult because of the restrictions on air and sea travel. On top of these restrictions, the government has indicated that a relaxation on mobility would apply initially to short journeys - those within a city or metropolitan area, for example. Journeys of any distance would not be a "priority".

Dr. Javier Arranz, the spokesperson for the regional committee for the management of coronavirus, has said that it is not known when visits to relatives will be allowed. "These will depend on how the pandemic develops and on what the state decides regarding confinement."