Respiratory viruses rising & more – 11th Jan 2024

Buenos días from Gracia! This is the Rorshok Spain Update from the 11th of January twenty twenty four. A quick summary of what's going down in Spain.

According to the latest epidemiological report by Carlos the Third Health Institute, one of Spain's most important public research universities, COVID-19, the flu, and common respiratory viruses are spreading widely this winter, with acute cases rising.

In Valencia, they reported a rise in respiratory infections between the 26th of December and the first of January, rising to 1,500 cases per 100,00 inhabitants. Meanwhile, Castilla-La Mancha saw the highest range the same week, with more than 1,700 cases recorded.

On Monday, the 8th, the government announced that wearing masks will be compulsory in all healthcare centers and hospitals nationwide for people with symptoms, medical professionals, and those in the waiting room. Health authorities in five provinces, including Valencia, Murcia, and Catalunya, had already issued this mandate last week.

In Galicia, millions of small white plastic pellets called Nurdles or mermaid tears have turned the Northwest Iberian Peninsula coastline white.

A person first discovered these Nurdles, used to make plastic products like bottles, bags, and containers, on the 13th of December on the Espiñeirido beach in A Coruña and quickly alerted local authorities. Since then, the pellets have continued to appear across Galicia coastlines. The regional Government has confirmed that the pellets are from a merchant ship en route to Portugal owned by the Danish company Maersk. The ship crew later told maritime authorities that half a dozen containers loaded with potentially toxic bags of Nurdles had fallen into the sea during its voyage.

Thousands of volunteers have mobilized along the coasts with sieves and filters to collect the tiny pieces. However, it's proving futile and labor-intensive while the regional and national authorities argue over who should clean up.

Back to health care for a second, The Ministry of Health is considering introducing a self-declaration system for temporary sick leave to alleviate the burden on healthcare centers, which would be able to focus on more critical issues.

New proposals will allow residents with minor illnesses to request and take paid sick leave by responsibly declaring their condition without visiting the doctor. At the moment, to receive paid sick leave, you must request a medical examination and note from your doctor within three days of temporary leave; companies then send this note and information to Social Security. However, this process can be long and ineffective.

On the topic of long procedures, the UK's Brexit plan has been ongoing since they voted to leave the European Union in twenty sixteen. After four years of negotiations, in January twenty twenty, the UK was officially removed from the EU. However, many things are still up in the air three years later. For instance, a Spanish woman made international news this week after the UK border force refused her entry after the Christmas holidays, due to unclear Brexit rules.

The Spanish woman has been living in Bedfordshire, UK, since twenty twenty with her husband and in-laws, and before that, from twenty twenty fourteen to twenty eighteen while pursuing a veterinary apprenticeship. However, despite actively appealing and holding a certificate permitting her to work in the UK, the document was rejected at the border, and she was sent back to Spain, where she's been told she has to wait a month until she can try again.

Back to the executive now. The Spanish government faces a critical vote in Congress on three important issues, including extending measures to help with the cost of living and price increases and what to do with ten billion euros in European funds. They had until Wednesday the 10th to gain a simple majority to pass through these decrees.

In a twelve-hour debate session, the government partially won by approving two out of three decrees, including measures on VAT and transport. Notably, the government is now obligated to cover the expenses for public transport discounts and bonuses fully, a shift from the previous arrangement where the executive financed 30% and autonomous regions contributed 20% or more.

Since last week's surprise meeting between the PP and Junts, things have been busy.

Junts per Catalunya is exerting pressure on Pedro Sánchez's government, demanding sanctions on banks and infrastructure firms, including Sabadell, Caixabank, and Abertis, that relocated headquarters from Catalunya during the twenty seventeen Independence referendum. Almost thirty companies relocated due to political uncertainty at the time. Junts has asked for "Catalan obedience," urging companies with significant activities in Catalunya to re-establish their headquarters in the Autonomous Community – proposing sanctions if they don’t. Additionally, Junts wants to incentivize companies to return with tax breaks, like Aigües de Barcelona, who returned in twenty eighteen.

Junts per Catalunya also secured a symbolic victory, obtaining immigration powers from the PSOE, meaning they have more influence over policies, regulations, and decisions related to immigration in the region. However, as state leaders, the responsibility and implementation of policies will still fall on the PSOE coalition.

Meanwhile, if you've ever spent Three Kings Day or Los Reyes Magos in Spain, you might be familiar with the controversial use of blackface during many, but not all, traditional Epiphany celebrations and parades.

During the parades, people representing the kings ride on floats, toss sweets to children. One of these kings, spoken about in early Christian texts, is Balthazar, an African man, with Renaissance paintings often portraying him as Black. Therefore, to represent the king and his followers, many participants paint their faces black and often exaggerate features, such as big red-painted lips.

For years, Activists, including Rita Bosaho, the Spanish politician for Podemos and the first black woman in the Spanish parliament, have urged this practice to be banned, Arguing that it perpetuates racism and diminishes the self-esteem of black children. Still, some Spaniards argue that they see it as a traditional practice with no racial malice.

Still, on Thursday, the 4th, an unnamed production company released personalized videos for families in Madrid's Chamartin district featuring a Spanish actor in blackface portraying Balthazar and using a mock West African accent while addressing children. The footage sparked widespread outrage online and in the media. Eduardo Rubino of the Mas Madrid party criticized the use of the accent as "pathetic" and deemed it "pure racism" while expressing disbelief that, among the 120,000 residents of African descent in Madrid, no suitable actor was found for the role. Madrid's deputy mayor acknowledged that the video was a "regrettable error" by the production company and said an investigation is underway.

Following on from last week's sad news about Carmen Valero, another important figure died on Wednesday the 10th. César Alierta, the former president of the Spanish telecommunications company Telefónica.

Much of Telefónica's success can be attributed to César Alierta. Between two thousand and two thousand and sixteen, his leadership propelled Telefónica to become the first Spanish company, and one of the few in Europe, to join the Dow Jones Global Titans 50 index, where Telefónica earned a spot among the world's top fifty most successful and largest global companies.

Speaking of successful companies… On Tuesday the 9th, the Gotham City Research company accused Grifols, Spain's global healthcare leader based in Barcelona, of fraud.

The Gotham City Research company claims that the Barcelona-based company artificially manipulated its debt and earnings through transactions with a company related to the Grifols family that controls the group. The short seller alleges that Grifols continued to report profits from two businesses, BPC Plasma and Haema, after their sale to Scranton Enterprises, a family vehicle.

Grifols, headquartered in Barcelona but with tax residence in Ireland since twenty fifteen, has vehemently denied the allegations, stating them as "false information and speculations.

Since the accusations came out, Grifol's share price has plunged by almost forty percent, wiping out billions of euros of its market value. The accusations have significant implications in the US, as Grifol's most crucial market is responsible for 60% of company sales and about two-thirds of its workforce.

Endidng this episode with some sports updates. Rafael Nadal, the Majorcan tennis player, has cut his time on the court short after his great comeback last week. After requesting a medical timeout during a match on Friday the 5th, Nadal has withdrawn from the Australian Open due to concerns about recurring injuries.

Aaand that's it for this week!

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¡Hasta la próxima!