Representatives of the Government and Autonomous Communities will meet today in an Interterritorial Council to study the possibility of shortening the number of quarantine days after testing positive for COVID.
A measure that has already been adopted by states such as the United States or the United Kingdom in the face of the avalanche of infections caused by the omicron variant, which is crippling companies with so much necessary sick leave.
Yesterday, the Minister of Social Security, José Luis Escrivá, confirmed an increase in temporary incapacities due to contagion and confinement with the new wave of the pandemic. Escrivá reminded that, in both cases, there is a right to sick leave.
Questioned in the press conference after the Council of Ministers, he pointed out that work is being done "to streamline and make more flexible" mechanisms and procedures, but that "all the sick leaves are being taken". The minister asked for "maximum tranquility" and reminded that both those infected by coronavirus and those who have to be confined and cannot work are entitled to temporary disability.
After the Christmas celebrations, Spain has 214,619 new positives for COVID-19 since Thursday, which raises the cumulative incidence above a thousand (1,206 cases in 14 days) for the first time in the entire pandemic. The total number of infections since March 2020 is on the verge of reaching 6 million, and the number of deaths is close to 90,000 (89,139 deaths have been reported).