Budapest Post

Cum Deo pro Patria et Libertate
Budapest, Europe and world news

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.

AI Disclaimer: An advanced artificial intelligence (AI) system generated the content of this page on its own. This innovative technology conducts extensive research from a variety of reliable sources, performs rigorous fact-checking and verification, cleans up and balances biased or manipulated content, and presents a minimal factual summary that is just enough yet essential for you to function as an informed and educated citizen. Please keep in mind, however, that this system is an evolving technology, and as a result, the article may contain accidental inaccuracies or errors. We urge you to help us improve our site by reporting any inaccuracies you find using the "Contact Us" link at the bottom of this page. Your helpful feedback helps us improve our system and deliver more precise content. When you find an article of interest here, please look for the full and extensive coverage of this topic in traditional news sources, as they are written by professional journalists that we try to support, not replace. We appreciate your understanding and assistance.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Intel Reports Revenue Beats but Sees 81% Rise in Losses
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
Tulsi Gabbard Unveils Evidence Alleging Political Manipulation of Intelligence During Trump Administration
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Trump Announces Coca-Cola to Shift to Cane Sugar in U.S. Production
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
Jamie Dimon Warns Europe Is Losing Global Competitiveness and Flags Market Complacency
Moonshot AI Unveils Kimi K2: A New Open-Source AI Model
Martha Wells Says Humanity Still Far from True Artificial Intelligence
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
EU Delays Retaliatory Tariffs Amid New U.S. Threats on Imports
Trump Proposes Supplying Arms to Ukraine Through NATO Allies
US Opens First Rare Earth Mine in Over 70 Years in Wyoming
Bitcoin Reaches New Milestone of $116,000
Severe Heatwave Claims 2,300 Lives Across Europe
Declining Beer Consumption Signals Cultural Shift in Germany
Emails Leaked: How Passenger Luggage Became a Side Income for Airport Workers
Polish MEP: “Dear Leftists - China is laughing at you, Russia is laughing, India is laughing”
Western Europe Records Hottest June on Record
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
China’s Central Bank Consults European Peers on Low-Rate Strategies
France Requests Airlines to Cut Flights at Paris Airports Amid Planned Air Traffic Controller Strike
Poland Implements Border Checks Amid Growing Migration Tensions
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
Amazon Reaches Milestone with Deployment of One Millionth Robot
Yulia Putintseva Calls for Spectator Ejection at Wimbledon Over Safety Concerns
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Extreme Heat Wave Sweeps Across Europe, Hitting Record Temperatures
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
Robots Compete in Football Tournament in China Amid Injuries
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
×