At a press conference following Tuesday's cabinet meeting, Spain's finance minister and government spokesperson, offered a "clear message of confidence" in Spanish tourism, insisting that Spain is a "safe destination".
Spain, María Jesús Montero observed, is "incomparable" in terms of culture, heritage, gastronomy and safety. This safety as a destination has been "reinforced in order to cope with the virus and its outbreaks". People who regularly visit Spain, she added, will know that one of the country's main strength as a tourism destination is the "quality of the public health system".
Over the past months, she explained, coordination and joint action protocols have been established between the national ministry of health and the regional administrations. Agreed by the Inter-Regional Health Council, these protocols are for prevention, control and an early response plan.
The health minister, Salvador Illa, said that the pandemic in Spain is in a "control scenario", despite the 361 active outbreaks which have been reported in different parts of the country, mainly Aragon and Catalonia. Seventy per cent of these outbreaks have "fewer than ten associated cases". Most have arisen because of family gatherings, work activities such as fruit picking, and nightlife. He viewed as "positive" the measures adopted by regional governments to limit nightlife. "In our opinion, they are the correct measures."
Illa dismissed the idea that there is a second wave on a general level. "In my opinion and based on the information I have received, there is not a second general wave. There are outbreaks, and areas with the highest transmissions are highly localised."
Some 64% of new positives are limited to Aragon and Catalonia. Illa added that he expects the "most worrying outbreaks in Barcelona and Zaragoza" to be brought under control in the coming weeks. The public, he stressed, must "strictly follow" the advice of health authorities regarding social distancing and the use of masks.
The Spanish and regional governments "are taking the measures that have to be taken in keeping the virus under control". The means available to regional governments, Illa emphasised, "are sufficient" to maintain this control.