COSTA BLANCA SUR / MURCIA FREE
E IV US CL EX
The
OLIVE PRESS
Your expat
voice in Spain
Vol. 1 Issue 14 www.theolivepress.es May 14th - May 27th, 2020
THE MAN WHO BEAT COVID TWICE An expat from Alicante has proven you can catch the Coronavirus a second time... and still survive
Find out how on P4
AN emu has become the latest victim of coronavirus. The flightless bird in Verdegas, Alicante, has been left homeless after its owner died of COVID-19. It was part of a menagerie of 27 animals, which also included a llama – since re-homed in Barcelona – that were left abandoned. A concerned local called in El Refugito del Burrito donkey sanctuary in Cordoba, which has been sending supplies for the animals to be fed. When it comes to being rehomed, the emu has been left firmly down the pecking order. Nicky Cohen, from the refuge said: “The problem is that you need a special zoological licence to own an emu. “If there is anyone who does have the right papers, we would love to hear from them.”
disaster THE European Union is making a desperate bid to salvage the holiday season for the costas. It comes after Brits were warned that holidays abroad this summer are ‘very likely’ to be cancelled. Health Secretary Matt Hancock broke the potentially devastating news for Spain during an appearance on ITV’s This Morning on Tuesday.
Expats describe the likely cancelation of the summer holidays for Brits in Spain as ‘catastrophic’
By Laurence Dollimore and Joshua Parfitt
“We haven’t made a final decision... but it is unlikely that big, lavish international holidays are going to be possible for this summer,” he told hosts Holly Willoughby and Philip Schofield. The move, if confirmed, would be a
At least you can do this at last..
Photo by Allan Binderup
Down the pecking order
MIRACLE: Ian Tanner, 62, survived two spells at Torrevieja hospital two months apart
FREEDOM: Palma residents finally get to enjoy a drink on a restaurant terrace as Mallorca enters Phase 1
huge blow for the Spanish tourism industry, with the costas heavily reliant on the tens of millions of British tourists who visit every summer. Some 12% of the country’s GDP is from tourism, while in the Comunidad Valenciana it is the biggest employer, generating 14.6% of the region’s GDP. The revelation by Hancock came just hours after Spain announced a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all international travellers arriving from May 15 - the same measure announced by the UK on Monday. It would mean tourists having to stay inside their accommodation for two weeks, before having to quarantine once again when arriving back to the UK. “It will most likely continue throughout the de-escalation period,” confirmed Health Minister Salvador Illa. This could run into July. For those without second homes and who don’t plan on staying for months at a time, it makes a holiday to Spain practically impossible in the short term. The moves were described as a ‘disas-
ter’ by the Costa Blanca’s leading hotel association, Hosbec. “If the quarantine is still in place in July and August, we can wave goodbye to any hopes of British tourists returning this summer,” its president, Toni Mayor, said. “For places like Benidorm that depend so heavily on UK tourists, it would be a disaster.” He added: “I don’t see international flights to Spain resuming until July at the earliest. It’s a body blow.” Local expats are certainly in agreement. Former West End star and leading Benidorm entertainer Jamie Somers, said he’s already seen ‘thousands in losses’ and won’t make a penny until ‘July or August’. The singer, who performs 14 times a week in the summer, added: “What people tend to forget, is most in the entertainment game live hand-tomouth from November until the season picks up. “To have to wait four fallow months Continues on Page 4