Porto shows fraternal solidarity with isolated Aranda de Duero

The Spanish town will be under a 2-week lockdown due to Covid-19 resurgence

Rui Moreira, the Mayor of Porto in Portugal, expressed yesterday his city’s solidarity with the people of the Spanish town of Aranda de Duero. As of this past midnight, Aranda found itself under a 14-day containment due to a rise in coronavirus infections.

The two municipalities are located on the Duero (Douro) river

On her part, Raquel González, the Mayor of Aranda de Duero, thanked the Porto mayor for the support. She also sent an invitation to her colleague to visit the Spanish town once the situation has improved and the measures had been lifted.

There is a reason for the warm relations between the two municipalities. Both of them are members of the Iberian Association of Riverside Municipalities of the Duero (Douro). This river, one of the major water veins of the peninsula, is famed for the wines produced along its banks in the two countries.

As a matter of fact, Aranda de Duero was declared to be the European Wine City for 2020. Festivities related to this distinction, however, had to be postponed until next year due to the Covid-19 crisis.

The 32 000 inhabitants of Aranda were unfortunately reminded that the pandemic had not quite gone away yet. The Regional Government of Castilla and Leon proposed a containment plan which was approved by court authorities yesterday. The initial 2-week period might be extended if it has not led to lowering of the infection rates.

What appears to be worrying is that the average age the newly infected cases is much lower than it was at the beginning of the pandemic crisis. These days it hovers around the age of 35, although a vast majority of the cases show no symptoms.