Gibraltar records first day in nearly three months without new virus cases

Gibraltar on Saturday reported its first day without any new Covid-19 cases in nearly three months.

Healthcare staff carried out 1,142 tests on Friday but did not detect any new infections.

The last time Gibraltar registered a day without cases was on November 26, 2020.

It is also exactly 100 days since Gibraltar reported its first death related to Covid-19.

In a tweet, Chief Minister Fabian Picardo welcomed the news but urged caution.

Exactly 100 days since we reported our first death to #COVID (11th November) #Gibraltar is able to report the first day with ZERO new cases since 26th November. Please continue to be responsible, continue to wash your hands, keep your distance & wear your mask as required. pic.twitter.com/Hcn2SQPKMF

— Fabian Picardo (@FabianPicardo) February 20, 2021

On Friday, Mr Picardo told the community that the virus was now “effectively suppressed” on the Rock after a surge in cases in the wake of the Christmas festive season.

A total of 88 people have died as a result of complications arising from Covid-19 and Gibraltar has recorded 4,228 cases of the virus since the start of the pandemic.

There are currently 36 active cases on the Rock, including five in the critical care unit of St Bernard’s Hospital and another five in the Covid ward.

Another 91 people are in self-isolation.

On Friday, the Gibraltar Government announced plans to ease lockdown restrictions and cautiously allow a return to normal activities.

But in making that announcement, the Chief Minister stressed there was no room for complacency and called on people to take individual responsibility to ensure there was no new spike in infections.

“The infection is effectively supressed in Gibraltar,” Mr Picardo said.

“We now need to keep it down.”

A key element of Gibraltar’s strategy is the fast-moving vaccination programme, made possible thanks to a steady supply of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines delivered from the UK on military flights.

As of Saturday, healthcare staff in Gibraltar had administered 29,334 doses of the vaccine, including 12,573 second doses.

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