Simon Wade
FIGURES released by the Valencian Community show that the number of younger people getting infected by COVID-19 is rising steeply.
The region registered 715 new cases of coronavirus over the weekend in the largest rise in infections since the State of Alarm ended on June 21.
Health Minister, Ana Barceló, said the fresh confirmed cases were logged between August 14 and August 16.
This was broken down to 38 in Castellón Province, 178 in Alicante Province, and the biggest spike of 493 in Valencia Province, centred around Valencia City.
Barceló said that the most worrying trend was the fact that people aged between 15 and 34 years now accounted for 46 per cent of new cases.
“This is due to their mobility, because this is the group with the most social contacts,” she admitted.
“The virus has not lost its ability to cause serious health problems, including young people,” continued Barceló, who confirmed that in one week the number of hospital admissions has doubled to 128.
From today(August 18), new measures announced in Madrid last Friday come into force in the region to try to reduce the spread of COVID-19 among all age groups, but specifically aimed at younger citizens.
The new laws will apply in the Valencian Community for three weeks, and include:-
- The closure of all nightclubs, discos, karaoke bars and late-night bars.
- A smoking ban on public roads, including terraces, if a distance of two meters with other people cannot be guaranteed. The Valencian Community has also banned smoking on beaches.
- Bars and restaurants must close at 1.00am, with no new customers allowed in after midnight.
- The safety distance of one and a half metres between tables must be maintained with a maximum of ten people per table.
- Events of more than 400 people will have to be get prior approval from Public Health bodies.
