A British man has tested positive for the deadly coronavirus in Majorca, becoming the first case of the disease in the Balearics. Now, airport workers based at Majorca’s main airport are calling for masks, gloves and disinfectant gels in order to protect themselves.
They say they are in daily contact with holidaymakers from all over the world, including thousands of people from Britain.
Union representatives say they have been calling for preventative measures for a month but so far, nothing has happened.
Acciona, the company responsible for the passport control service, wants the Ministry of Health to order the airport authority, AENA to issue masks to workers.
They took to Twitter this morning to say: “We work in terminal A that receives flights from England. We don’t have gel to clean our hands or single-use gloves.
“Acciona hopes that Aena receives the order from the health department to deliver us masks. What to expect? An infected worker?”
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The latest victim is a 48-year-old British man who currently lives in Majorca with his family.
The British man tested positive is being kept in isolation in hospital following this morning’s positive confirmation.
His wife and two young daughters have all been tested negative but health officials say that doesn’t mean symptoms might still develop.
The husband has been in contact with a person in France who has the virus.
The Ministry of Health has confirmed the diagnosis and has put out an appeal for the family’s privacy to be respected.
The health agency has also issued “a message of tranquillity and confidence”.
They have asked people to stay calm and say they have every confidence in the health system on the island and all the protocols for dealing with this case.
The British man is being kept in isolation in the Hospital de Son Espases, in Majorca’s capital of Palma.
It is understood his wife and two daughters are also still in the same hospital but they have no symptoms.
His tests sent to the National Microbiology Centre laboratory arrived at dawn this morning and have already been communicated to those affected.
Following the results, the search has already started to find people the man has been in contact with. He was in contact with a person who had coronavirus when at a ski resort in France.
At the moment in Spain, there is only one other confirmed case, a German tourist who remains isolated on the island of La Gomera, Canary Islands but he has no signs of illness despite the positive test.
The FCO has updated its travel warning in accordance with the confirmed cases of the disease.
A statement on the FCO website reads: “There is an ongoing outbreak of coronavirus.
“The virus originated in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China, but cases have been confirmed in other parts of China and in some other countries, including Spain.
“You should comply with any additional screening measures put in place by the authorities.”
