Bermuda Post

Thursday, Mar 28, 2024

Gibraltar has vaccinated most of its adults. This is what it's like now

Gibraltar has vaccinated most of its adults. This is what it's like now

People clinking wine glasses in bars and restaurants. Fans watching live soccer and boxing matches. As summer approaches, life has almost returned to normal in one tiny territory in southern Europe -- and there's a very good reason why.

Almost everyone is vaccinated.

Gibraltar, a British Overseas Territory that borders Spain at the point where North Africa and Europe form the gateway to the Mediterranean, has become one of the first places in the world to inoculate most of its adult population.

Just three months after the territory, overshadowed by a large jagged promontory known as the Rock, went into its second total lockdown, more than 90% of adults have received their first dose and will soon get their second.

As a result, while much of Europe is facing renewed restrictions and struggles with its own vaccinations rollouts, the Rock is beginning to unlock.

In downtown, friendship groups can be seen reconvening over coffee. There are lively birthday brunches with toasts to a better year ahead. And at the Cathedral of Saint Mary the Crowned, there's the familiar humming of Mass.

Signage warning people to wear masks has been taken down. The Main Street even hosted a return of the Gibraltar Re-enactment Association's popular march, complete with red and white historical uniforms, lively drums, and Napoleonic muskets.

The midnight-to-5 a.m. curfew has also been lifted, allowing establishments to stay open until 2 a.m. Cafes, bars, and restaurants are once again full of people, no doubt making up for the lost time.

Bars and restaurants can serve alcohol but consumption in public spaces away from these establishments is still not allowed between 7 p.m. and 8 a.m.
Popular social spots Chatham Counterguard and Ocean Village Marina have regained some of the social buzz they had pre-pandemic as people unwind over drinks.

People are out enjoying themselves in cafes and bars again.


Iain Ballantine, who runs Gibraltar's Timeout café and The Bake and Take bakery, has also seen a return in business since restrictions were lifted last month.

"The three-month lockdown was a bit of a stress test but now because people think that we're safer than anywhere else in the world they're slowly starting to come out again," he says.


Ballentine, who is also a member of the Gibraltar Catering Association and experienced an eight-week bout of Covid himself, credits the government's
vaccine rollout for restoring the public's confidence in dining out again.

"I've been lucky that none of my employees have had Covid and now they're getting vaccinated, which will also add reassurance to customers who are returning."

Hints of a post-Covid era


Cafe owner Iain Ballantine says customers are returning because they feel safe.


Dubbed "Operation Freedom" by Health Minister Samantha Sacramento, Gibraltar's road to normality began at the beginning of March and reached a significant milestone last weekend when, after six long months masks were no longer required when outside non-commercial areas -- they're now only needed for closed public spaces, shops and on public transport.

It's being seen as hopefully an end to the coronavirus in Gibraltar, which recorded 4,274 cases and 94 deaths among a population of close to 34,000 residents.

While an estimated 3% of residents opted not to take the jab, the Gibraltar Health Authority's vaccination program proceeded ahead of schedule thanks to steady shipments of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccines from mainland UK.

The territory's tight-knit community aided the vaccine rollout, with news of appointments and updates spreading rapidly around the Rock by word of mouth and on a popular Facebook group titled Speak Freely Gibraltar.

Non-Gibraltarians and essential workers have also been included in Gibraltar's vaccination program.

Frontline worker Clara Luise Manzano, from San Roque in Spain, says she feels grateful to Gibraltar for being able to get fully vaccinated so soon.

"I see a big contrast between both places," she says. "At the beginning it was a shock coming in and out of the frontier to see people with no masks and less restrictions. Now, I drive in from Spain with my mask on and once I'm in Gibraltar I take it off."

Back to business


Masks are no longer required out on the street in main shopping areas.


The new freedoms include the reopening of the border into Spain, a welcome respite for many left feeling claustrophobic by the second lockdown that forbade most travel beyond Gibraltar's 2.6 square mile (6.8 kilometer square) area.

Estate manager Sarah Azopardi, having coffee with a group of friends, praised the vaccination strategy that has allowed Gibraltar to relax restrictions sooner than in many other countries.

"I think that we're one of the lucky ones because we're ahead of time," she says. "Now that we can go to Spain and do things we couldn't before, I feel a lot less claustrophobic. Because in Gib, it's such a small place and it's very easy to feel trapped."

And there's hope of more to come. Those who have received both doses of the vaccine have been issued with a vaccination card -- a document that is hoped will allow residents to travel further as the year progresses.

Events have also returned to the Rock as Gibraltar hosted what's thought to be the first fully vaccinated major sporting fixture in the world on Saturday.

Five hundred spectators, each tested for Covid-19 prior to the event, were able to witness British heavyweight fighter Dillian Whyte claim victory over Russia's Alexander Povetkin at Gibraltar's Europa Sports Complex.

The fight, called the Rumble on the Rock, was originally meant to take place at the Matchroom HQ, a venue in southeastern England, but was switched to Gibraltar thanks to its Covid-19 safe environment.

Soccer fans were also allowed to witness sporting matches starting with Gibraltar's World Cup qualifier clash against the Netherlands on Tuesday.

Victoria Stadium welcomed 600 attendees who had previously received two doses of the vaccine and tested negative for the virus on the day of the match.

The game was being used as a pilot case study by Gibraltar's government to assess future events in its continued efforts to steer the territory back to normality.

Not all smooth sailing


Hopes are high for a normal summer in Gibraltar.

Although the atmosphere has returned to the Rock and locals are looking forward to a Covid-free summer, it hasn't always been smooth sailing.

For the majority of the pandemic, coronavirus infections in Gibraltar remained relatively low in comparison to the rest of the world. But cases rose steadily when summer 2020 came to an end and air travel remained open.

Infection rates then surged after Christmas as the Spanish and UK variants swept the territory.

In what was one of the most difficult winters in Gibraltarian history, the community lost 84 people in the space of 60 days.

Gibraltar responded to the pandemic with its first lockdown on March 22, 2020, and by June 1, was undergoing phase three of its unlocking process.

Throughout this time, the Government launched free Covid-19 testing facilities around the Rock. Swabbing stations were set up for anyone over 16 years old with a valid local health authority card to be tested there and then, without an appointment.

A drive-in Covid-19 testing facility was launched at the midtown coach park and a contact tracing program was set up with the introduction of its app, Beat Covid Gibraltar.

Gibraltar's diligence throughout the pandemic has paid off as the number of active coronavirus cases stands at 10 and there are currently no Covid-19 patients emitted to St Bernard's Hospital.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Bermuda Post
0:00
0:00
Close
Paper straws found to contain long-lasting and potentially toxic chemicals - study
FTX's Bankman-Fried headed for jail after judge revokes bail
Blackrock gets half a trillion dollar deal to rebuild Ukraine
Steve Jobs' Son Launches Venture Capital Firm With $200 Million For Cancer Treatments
Israel: Unprecedented Civil Disobedience Looms as IDF Reservists Protest Judiciary Reform
Google reshuffles Assistant unit, lays off some staffers, to 'supercharge' products with A.I.
End of Viagra? FDA approved a gel against erectile dysfunction
UK sanctions Russians judges over dual British national Kara-Murza's trial
US restricts visa-free travel for Hungarian passport holders because of security concerns
America's First New Nuclear Reactor in Nearly Seven Years Begins Operations
Southeast Asia moves closer to economic unity with new regional payments system
Political leader from South Africa, Julius Malema, led violent racist chants at a massive rally on Saturday
Today Hunter Biden’s best friend and business associate, Devon Archer, testified that Joe Biden met in Georgetown with Russian Moscow Mayor's Wife Yelena Baturina who later paid Hunter Biden $3.5 million in so called “consulting fees”
Singapore Carries Out First Execution of a Woman in Two Decades Amid Capital Punishment Debate
Spanish Citizenship Granted to Iranian chess player who removed hijab
US Senate Republican Mitch McConnell freezes up, leaves press conference
Speaker McCarthy says the United States House of Representatives is getting ready to impeach Joe Biden.
San Francisco car crash
This camera man is a genius
3D ad in front of Burj Khalifa
Next level gaming
Google testing journalism AI. We are doing it already 2 years, and without Google biased propoganda and manipulated censorship
Unlike illegal imigrants coming by boats - US Citizens Will Need Visa To Travel To Europe in 2024
Musk announces Twitter name and logo change to X.com
'I just lost it' Lowe’s worker fired after 13 years of employment for confronting thieves trying to steal $2K of merchandise
The politician and the journalist lost control and started fighting on live broadcast.
The future of sports
Unveiling the Black Hole: The Mysterious Fate of EU's Aid to Ukraine
Farewell to a Music Titan: Tony Bennett, Renowned Jazz and Pop Vocalist, Passes Away at 96
Alarming Behavior Among Florida's Sharks Raises Concerns Over Possible Cocaine Exposure
Transgender Exclusion in Miss Italy Stirs Controversy Amidst Changing Global Beauty Pageant Landscape
Joe Biden admitted, in his own words, that he delivered what he promised in exchange for the $10 million bribe he received from the Ukraine Oil Company.
TikTok Takes On Spotify And Apple, Launches Own Music Service
Global Trend: Using Anti-Fake News Laws as Censorship Tools - A Deep Dive into Tunisia's Scenario
Arresting Putin During South African Visit Would Equate to War Declaration, Asserts President Ramaphosa
Hacktivist Collective Anonymous Launches 'Project Disclosure' to Unearth Information on UFOs and ETIs
Typo sends millions of US military emails to Russian ally Mali
Server Arrested For Theft After Refusing To Pay A Table's $100 Restaurant Bill When They Dined & Dashed
The Changing Face of Europe: How Mass Migration is Reshaping the Political Landscape
China Urges EU to Clarify Strategic Partnership Amid Trade Tensions
Europe is boiling: Extreme Weather Conditions Prevail Across the Continent
The Last Pour: Anchor Brewing, America's Pioneer Craft Brewer, Closes After 127 Years
Democracy not: EU's Digital Commissioner Considers Shutting Down Social Media Platforms Amid Social Unrest
Sarah Silverman and Renowned Authors Lodge Copyright Infringement Case Against OpenAI and Meta
Italian Court's Controversial Ruling on Sexual Harassment Ignites Uproar
Why Do Tech Executives Support Kennedy Jr.?
The New York Times Announces Closure of its Sports Section in Favor of The Athletic
BBC Anchor Huw Edwards Hospitalized Amid Child Sex Abuse Allegations, Family Confirms
Florida Attorney General requests Meta CEO's testimony on company's platforms' alleged facilitation of illicit activities
The Distorted Mirror of actual approval ratings: Examining the True Threat to Democracy Beyond the Persona of Putin
×