Daily updates

Flu.
The high incidence of flu in the region has put 6 hospitals on red alert for capacity. Alicante, Elche, Orihuela, Crevillente, Alcoy and Elda hospitals have more people admitted than for covid-19 as of yesterday. Orihuela has 1,593 cases per 100,000 and is sending some patients to other hospitals in the area. Elche hospital already has 100% of capacity and will also be looking at other hospitals. The medical authorities emphasise that the majority of those admitted for respiratory disease have not been vaccinated against flu or covid either because they refuse it or were unable to attend for an appointment despite being in one of the vulnerable groups. Currently, in some of these hospitals, patients are waiting up to 20 hours until a bed can be made available.

Tourist Tax
The Valencia government issued a bulletin (DOGV) yesterday introducing a tourist tax which will come into force in the Valencia Region as from 19 December 2023. This tax will be paid by everyone over the age of 16 and the rates will be assessed as from noon to noon counting as one day.
The charges will be levied on all tourism in the region including hotels, pensions, cruise passengers, rented holiday accommodation, caravans (including camper vans) and any such establishment used on a temporary basis.
The charges will be:
5* and 4* luxury hotels €2 per day (from noon to noon)
3* Luxury and 4* hotels €1.50 per day
1, 2 and 3* hotels €1 per day.

Tourist apartments -
Superior €1.5 per day
Upper €1 per day
Standard €0.50 per day

Tourist rentals (bed sit, pensions, hostels etc)
Superior €1.50
Standard €1.00

Official camping areas €0.50 per day
Caravans and campers not using official camping areas but on land designated for overnight stops €0.50

Rural hotels will be charged the same as urban hotels depending on the star rating.
Camping in rural areas where land is set out for such activities will be 50 cents per day unless a managed site where the prices for such areas are laid out above.

Cruise passengers will pay €1.50 per day.

The DOGV sets out the payment methods and gives full details of the scheme.

Thank you Marcliff. Can I check a couple of things please?
I'm in my fifties and don't qualify for Spanish health care but would I be able to get the flu jab in the Lo Marabu medical centre?
Guessing family members coming over and staying in your house wouldn't need to pay the tourist tax?
Would us as Spanish residents pay the tourist tax if we stayed in a hotel?
Many thanks.

Re the flu vac. Only those over 65 and those with underlying conditions are being given the flu vaccine although they are giving them to over 60s who turn up for a covid vaccine. You can purchase the flu vac at a pharmacy without a prescription and then go to a health centre to have it administered.

No, family members staying in your house won't pay the tourist tax.

All hotels will charge the tourist tax to everyone over 16 including Spanish residents.

One thing I didn't mention was that the tax would only be paid for the first 7 days and some councils are against it and say they won't charge it. Whether that will go down well with the Valencian government remains to be seen.

Thank you Marcliff.

Some doctors in Madrid and Barcelona have been on strike since November last. Cover is still being provided but the dispute continues.

Medical staff in the Valencia Region threatened to go on strike for lack of personnel and cooperation with the health authorities. It was reported last week, by the Valencian government, that this strike had been called off.

However, the medical staff have today claimed that the health authorities did not reply to their demands and have iterated that the strike will still go on.

The medical union is calling on 10,000 medical workers to strike on 17th and 18th January next week and will include primary care (GPs and nurses), hospital staff and ambulance drivers to join in unless the health authorities in the region honour their pledge to respond to the concerns.

Road transport workers in the Alicante province have also called a strike for the 23/24 January and 6/7 February as they say the regional government is not honouring pledges on the pay given to drivers and the cost of fuel is making their journeys unprofitable.

Work on linking Alicante and Elche train services to the airport have been tendered. This is something that has been talked about for the last 20 years but hasn't taken place. The Alicante area councils are now saying that, with the line between Alicante and Elche finally being electrified, the 5km cut to the airport can go ahead but they won't give a timeline for this to happen as the final electrification may not be completed for some 2 years. Shame they haven't followed up on the plans to extend the rail line to our area (both Los Montesinos and Torrevieja Norte were mooted as stations). Probably get them when we have a regular bus service in Quesada. (don't hold your breath).

Torrevieja hospital will continue the open access for covid vaccinations for the rest of the month. Hope it's not when the medics go on strike.

Antena 3 news has carried out a survey on the rudest cities in Spain. Alicante and Elche come out as the rudest. They took into account people talking loudly on mobile phones in public areas, replies given when asked about places in the area and responses given when accessing reception areas in public buildings.

Thousands of Alicante residents staged a huge protest in front of the government buildings in Madrid today to protest about the closure of the water transfer from the Tagus river to the Segura river. This has been going on for some time and farmers in this area have been told they will have to rely on desalinated water from Torrevieja. This is a very expensive way of doing it and prices for that will rise by 80% from next week. They are saying the costs for producing fruit and vegetables in the area will be increase greatly if they have to rely on that water instead of the joining up of rivers.

Further to the above, the medical staff in the Valencian Region have called off the strike for 17/18 January due to high medical demand at the moment. They will strike on the first Monday of March, April and May instead.

Hi - a question for Marcliff if you dont mind..... sorry if this topic has been addressed previously..

I have this week heard a few rumours that Torrevieja is about to introduce a "clean air" zone whereby cars would need a "licence" to enter, or be fined if your car does not meet the necessary emissions standards (lots of cities in UK have something similar) - do you have any helpful information or any way to clarify the position?
Like all rumours - there is very little else to go on, and lots of scare mongering...
Many thanks in advance

Search for low emissions on here, loads about it there

[quote="Esso123"]Hi - a question for Marcliff if you dont mind..... sorry if this topic has been addressed previously..

I have this week heard a few rumours that Torrevieja is about to introduce a "clean air" zone whereby cars would need a "licence" to enter, or be fined if your car does not meet the necessary emissions standards (lots of cities in UK have something similar) - do you have any helpful information or any way to clarify the position?
Like all rumours - there is very little else to go on, and lots of scare mongering...
Many thanks in advance[/quote]

Esso123 wrote:Hi - a question for Marcliff if you dont mind..... sorry if this topic has been addressed previously..

I have this week heard a few rumours that Torrevieja is about to introduce a "clean air" zone whereby cars would need a "licence" to enter, or be fined if your car does not meet the necessary emissions standards (lots of cities in UK have something similar) - do you have any helpful information or any way to clarify the position?
Like all rumours - there is very little else to go on, and lots of scare mongering...
Many thanks in advance

"Addressed previously?" Many times.
Read this one Emission Zones

There are others.

Esso123 wrote:Hi - a question for Marcliff if you dont mind..... sorry if this topic has been addressed previously..

I have this week heard a few rumours that Torrevieja is about to introduce a "clean air" zone whereby cars would need a "licence" to enter, or be fined if your car does not meet the necessary emissions standards (lots of cities in UK have something similar) - do you have any helpful information or any way to clarify the position?
Like all rumours - there is very little else to go on, and lots of scare mongering...

Many thanks in advance

There has been loads of information about clean air zones & car stickers in the local freebie newspapers, eg page 33 of this weeks Costa Blanca People, edition 975