Court closes Spanish students' Covid hotel confinement case

In parliament on Tuesday, the health minister, Patricia Gómez, said that this was one of the best bits of news that she had had during the pandemic. Font was not even required to testify, Gómez stressed.

The judge at a Palma court, Ana Pérez Carrillo, opened proceedings following complaints by parents of some students who were confined in late June at the 'Covid hotel' in Palma. This was by order of the ministry of health and was on the basis that the students (who had tested negative) were considered to have been close contacts of students who were positive.

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On June 30, a different court overturned the ministry's action. The Balearic government appealed this ruling to the Balearic High Court. On September 17, the high court determined that the confinement had been "a well-founded measure" that responded to the "principle of necessity".

Based on this, Judge Pérez Carrillo has concluded that "there were no indications of the crime of illegal detention and administrative 'prevaricación'."

In all, 175 students were confined. After the court had ruled that the government must let them leave, some remained because they were now positive. Upon return to the mainland, many more tested positive.