Balearic government warns Covid-19 putting strain on health system and further restrictions possible

THE recent surge in new Covid-19 cases in the Balearics is putting the health system under strain and further restrictions could be on the cards, the regional Health minister warned on Friday.
Patricia Gomez also admitted the islands could be in for an increase in Covid-19 hospitalisations and patients receiving treatment in intensive care, as well as a possible rise in the death tally.
“The health system is prepared, and it is preparing, but it’s not enough”, the regional minister commented following a meeting with hospital, health centre and SAMU health emergency service managers to evaluate the pandemic situation.
She repeated the call to young people to comply with measures aimed at preventing the spread of infections and underlined the importance of wearing face masks at all times, including when sitting on bar and restaurant terraces unless actually eating or drinking.
She also reiterated her message from Thursday, that most of the recent outbreaks on the archipelago can be traced back to get-togethers with friends and family, and urged the public to limit social contacts to a minimum.
“We do not want to take a step backwards”, Gomez commented, but made it clear the Balearic administration would introduce further restrictions if necessary.
Friday’s report from the Balearic Health and Consumer ministry shows another 242 people on the islands have tested positive for Covid-19 since yesterday. This puts the total number of infections since the start of the pandemic at 5,449, or taking the Heath Ministry’s new criteria for counting coronavirus contagions, which does not include 105 positive serologies from prior to May 11, at 5,344.
Of these, 4,733 correspond to Mallorca, 149 to Menorca, 424 to Ibiza and 38 to Formentera.
The Epidemiology Service has reported one Covid-19 death in the last 24 hours, while another 168 people have recovered from the illness.
There are currently 1,741 active cases on the islands.
As it stands, 191 people with the virus are hospitalised and of these 23 are in intensive care.