The village of Sos in Aragon remains free of Covid-19

SOS DEL REY CATOLICO has always been famous.

The village with a registered population of 600 has been recognised as one of the most picturesque in Spain and was the birthplace of Fernando II of Aragon.

Fernando’s marriage to Isabel of Castilla in 1469 eventually united their two kingdoms, laying the foundations of modern Spain.

Now, in April 2020, Sos has another claim to fame because it is one of the few municipalities in Aragon to remain free of Covid-19.

Aragon’s first cases, principally in Zaragoza City, were reported more than six weeks ago, but at the time of writing there were no confirmed or suspected coronavirus cases in Sos, including 44 residents and 18 employees at the village’s care home for the elderly.

“I think that on one hand we have been lucky, with good fortune on our side,” local mayor Maria Jose Navarro told the Spanish national daily, ABC.  “On the other hand, it could be because we acted so rapidly to prevent infection.”

Despite the precautions, the mayor said she was aware that there was still a risk.

“There are people who have to leave their homes because of their jobs or from sheer necessity. You don’t know when or where you’ll contract the virus,” Navarro said.

There is also unease regarding tourism, the main source of income in a municipality where there are almost as many hotel beds as inhabitants on the Padron.

The coronavirus lockdown has been a blow, Navarro admitted to ABC.

“It will be hard for tourism in general to recover and we don’t know how it will emerge from this situation,” she said.

 

Written by

Linda Hall

Originally from the UK, Linda is based in Valenca and is a reporter for The Euro Weekly News covering local news. Got a news story you want to share? Then get in touch at editorial@euroweeklynews.com.

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