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Date Published: 17/12/2021
Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin Dec 18
Reminder: This is the last Editor’s Roundup Weekly Bulletin of 2021. We’re taking a break for a couple of weeks, but we’ll be back with your next edition, which will be emailed out on Saturday January 8 2022. Meanwhile, you can still get all the latest news on our website, plus our Facebook and Twitter pages.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FEATURE ARTICLES "Home sales in Spain back to 2007 levels and Spain reduces taxes for digital nomads"
In the week when children under 12 years old have begun to be vaccinated in Spain, cases are jumping off everywhere and restrictions are being variously brought in, taken out, altered and exalted, adored and ignored, proposed and opposed, purported, supported and distorted.
One day the French are tightening restrictions on some of their borders but not others, another it’s the Italians, and within Spain itself there are varying levels of what you can and can’t do, and with how many people, where you need a Covid passport to get in somewhere and where you don’t. It’s enough to make your head spin, and if you don’t happen to be au fait with the Covid measures du jour, before you know it you could find yourself slapped with a fine for non-compliance.
Handy, then, to have a cheat sheet, at least for the Murcia Region. We’ve knocked up a detailed explainer of what each of the five Covid risk levels means in practice, and how many people can be inside certain different types of establishments according to the risk level that municipality happens to be in at the time. These risk levels, which range from 1 – low risk to 5 – extreme, are reliant on what they 14-day or 7-day cumulative incidence rate is in each particular area, and the rules in the municipality are adjusted accordingly.
Coupled with this, we’ll also bring you periodical updates for each of the 45 municipalities in the Murcia Region as they shift up and down in the risk levels. As Covid cases continue upwards, most municipalities in the Region of Murcia are now classed as high or very high risk, meaning that they have harsher restrictions than the areas at low and medium risk levels. Cartagena, Torre Pacheco, San Pedro del Pinatar and Fortuna are just a few of the municipalities in level 4 (very high risk) and, therefore, they are all subjected to 30% capacity restrictions in the hospitality and nightlife sectors.
Coronavirus
With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, the health situation is invariably on the minds of most, with soaring infections casting doubt over the festive celebrations. To date, 40 cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in Spain, and the worrying news is that the Ministry of Health believes that about half of these aren’t linked to foreign travel, so the new strain is almost certainly being transmitted within Spain.
To make a bad situation worse, health experts have revealed that the Omicron R number – the average number of people that one infected person will pass the virus onto – is between 3 and 5, far higher than the 1.1 of the Delta variant, proving that Omicron is much more contagious than previous versions of the virus. It is unsurprising, then, that the cumulative incidence rate in Spain has increased to 472 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and that the entire country is now bordering on the high-risk threshold.
Despite this, the Ministry of Health remains steadfast in its decision not to impose restrictions before the holidays, even though a special report prepared this week has made a series of recommendations, including limiting the number of people allowed at tables in restaurants and bars, and asking those attending Christmas parties to take antigen tests.
This will come as good news to many, as is evident by the thousands of people who turned out in Barcelona, Valencia and Madrid this week to protest the introduction of Covid passports in several communities to access venues such as pubs, restaurants and hospitals.
Yet another controversial measure is the vaccination of children aged between 5 and 11, which kicked off across the country this week. Even though this has proven to be a very contentious issue, with some questioning if children really need to be vaccinated when most of the effects of coronavirus are very mild in those youngsters who catch it, a mere 12% of parents in Spain claim that they will refuse to have their children inoculated against Covid. Presumably the 88% who are pro-vaccination for their kids understand that even while most children don’t fall very ill with the virus, they can still act as a transporter to spread it to others, and worse that the virus can mutate in them into new strains just the same as anyone else.
As the region of Valencia began vaccinating children in schools this week, the move prompted one father, also a lawyer, to take legal action. He has lodged an appeal with the Superior Court of Justice against the immunisation of five- to 11-year-olds in schools, not because he’s against vaccinating them per se, but rather because doing so in schools is a violation of their rights to privacy and it could subject those children who don’t get vaccinated to bullying since everyone will know who they are. The lawyer also blasted the authorities for giving parents just one day to authorise the immunisation of their children. He has argued the short period of time parents have been given to make such an important decision was “inappropriate” and “disproportionate”.
While further restrictions in Spain are unlikely, the authorities are tightening their controls on foreigners visiting the country. After the ‘at risk’ list was updated this week, the government confirmed that passengers arriving from Ireland will still have to prove that they are double jabbed. This rule was already in place for UK travellers, but to make life a bit easier, Covid passes will now be made available to all children aged between 12 and 15 who are double jabbed. Nonetheless, and perhaps not surprisingly, Spanish hotels have lamented a wave of cancellations by British tourists who were planning to come to Spain this winter, leaving the tourism sector gasping since Brits are among the top foreign holidaymakers in Spain.
France, in turn, has upped the ante by announcing that, from December 18, it will require all UK arrivals to provide a negative Covid test taken no more than 24 hours prior to their arrival, whether or not they have been fully vaccinated, though as yet there is no indication that Brits who drive through France into into Spain will have to present the same level of testing to Spanish authorities at the border.
In Murcia at the beginning of this week, the regional government introduced mandatory Covid certificates for the nightlife sector, but many other businesses such as bars and restaurants are choosing to request the Covid passports as well. For hospitality business owners in municipalities in the high risk or the very high-risk level, asking customers for these certificates means that they are able to increase their capacity from 30 or 50% to 100%. However, this is not an option for nightlife venues as their capacity is limited to the lower percentage despite being forced to ask customers for their passes, something which has led to a feeling of unfairness and discontent in the sector.
Jumping on this latest Covid restriction, one Cartagena company saw a gap in the market and began selling customised Covid certificate merch, including T-shirts, tote bags and keyrings carrying QR codes, which the company assures can be scanned correctly.
Meanwhile, health experts fear that the Omicron strain of coronavirus is already in the Region of Murcia and samples of PCR tests were sent to the Virgen de la Arrixaca hospital this week to confirm the presence of the latest variant. There are now well over 5,000 active cases of the virus across the Region and, to combat the rapidly increasing numbers, the regional health authorities are ploughing ahead with the vaccination campaign, giving first doses to children and administering booster jabs to older adults.
In Spain’s Valencia region, a staggering 6,696 positives were recorded last weekend, the highest number of new infections since July, tipping the 14-day cumulative incidence rate over the 330 cases per 100,000 mark.
In line with the surge in new positives is a significant rise in the number of people getting jabbed and applying for a Covid passport, which is now essential to enter the majority of leisure and hospitality venues and for visits at hospitals and elderly residences.
But not everybody has access to computers and printers, and for this reason Los Verdes (the Green Party) in Torrevieja is calling for a Covid passport office in the municipality to overcome the digital divide. The idea is to reduce congestion in health centres and assist people who don’t have access to the internet by offering a “Covid certificate management point” where the passport can be downloaded and printed off, along with other administrative services and facilities.
And such a facility could prove vital for thousands following the announcement the regional government plans to extend the use of the Covid passport in more establishments throughout the Community. During a speech this week, president of the Valencia region, Ximo Puig, insisted “we must live with the pandemic” by getting immunised and using “a mask, social distancing, ventilation and common sense”, whilst calling for responsibility over the festive period.
In Alcoy, the incidence rate has reached more than 400 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and in order to avoid further contagions, the Town Hall has cancelled the traditional New Year’s Eve party. The big bash to welcome in the new year typically attracts hundreds to the main square, but the local authority is concerned cases could spiral further “at a large event in which the use of masks cannot be guaranteed”.
Despite the ever-increasing numbers of infections in Andalucía, which were at almost 5,000 per day, the High Court of Andalucía initially rejected the regional government’s proposal to enforce the Covid pass in restaurants and similar establishments because, according to the way it was worded, it would mean that not only customers but also the employees who worked there would have to show proof of vaccination or a negative Covid test.
While going to a bar or a nightclub is considered “voluntary”, a person’s workplace is not, according to the Court, and demanding a Covid certificate of workers amounts to forcing them to get vaccinated, which is illegal (for now) or meaning they have to get tested every few days, which would eat up most of their pay packet.
So, the Junta de Andalucía were sent back to the drawing board with that one and their new, reworded, proposal was accepted on Friday, meaning the Covid pass is now needed to get into Andalusian bars and hotels. at the same time they’ve asked the national government to make it obligatory to wear facemasks outside again, as they were back last spring. So far, the government hasn’t put this rule in place, but there’s no ruling out that it won’t happen, they way things are going. Remember that although it’s not mandatory, you can still wear your facemask outdoors if you want, and it’s a recommended safety measure when you can’t keep 1.5 metres away from others.
We’re taking this health crisis seriously, and are of the opinion that the better informed everyone is about the latest of the fast-changing developments, the more protected we all are. That’s why we endeavour to bring you all the most up-to-date coronavirus news as it comes out, which you can always consult using the link above.
Money (back) in the bank for 2022
There has at least been some good news on the financial side, this week, as Spain has promised to bring in a new ‘Startup Law’ to incentivise people to come to the country from abroad and work remotely. The new law will basically involve a tax break where these ‘digital nomads’ are only charged the Non-Resident Income Tax for five years, which will be lower than the Income Tax rate for Spanish residents.
Of course, the scheme is mainly aimed at those who work from home, and so might as well do so in Spain where the weather is good and property prices are cheaper than many other places in Europe, but it only works if remote working continues in enough companies. As the fifth wave of coronavirus died down, many Spanish companies made their employees return to work in the office, but as we enter the throes of this sixth wave, they will surely be forced to agree to WFH again.
It may be that some are already anticipating the new Startup Law and buying a home in Spain ready to move, or perhaps it’s because the pandemic has given more people the perspective on life they need to see that it’s short, and we should enjoy it, and living in Spain or having a holiday home here is the way to do that. Whatever the reason, the number of property sales in the country has gone back up to levels it hasn’t seen since 2007, before the financial crash.
This has become apparent after the release of the most recent monthly data on house sales in Spain from the National Institute of Statistics, which showed that there were 46,242 property transactions in October of this year, the highest figure since October 2007’s 58,500 sales.
Unsurprisingly, the average price of housing in Spain is going up as demand rises, too, having increased by 9.5% since this time last year, and the trend shows no sign of stopping. If ever there was a time to invest in Spanish real estate, it’s now, and homeowners would be well advised to hold off on selling for as long as possible.
In the Region of Murcia, the year-on-year increase in house prices was 4.4%, which is below this national average but still puts it in fifth place out of all the autonomous communities in the country. Despite this climb in property prices, though, Murcia still remains one of the cheapest regions of Spain to buy a home.
Interestingly, most buyers in Murcia are on the hunt for new builds, including high-quality apartments and exclusive new homes on urbanisations and golf resorts, so if you’ve been thinking of buying one of these new homes or know someone who is, bear in mind that it’s best to buy now before rising demand pushes prices much higher.
All homeowners and bill payers have had one mounting worry over the last few months, which is their electricity bill. Due to the reduced availability of gas from African suppliers and the way Spain charges for its energy based on the wholesale market price, among other reasons, electricity prices have gone through the roof, clouds and stratosphere this year to reach the most expensive they’ve ever been.
Finally some good news for next year, then, as Spain announces a series of tax breaks to come into force once the current “fiscal measures” expire at the end of this month, as the Minister for Ecological Transition, Teresa Ribera, put it. It’s now looking like it would take a miracle for “all consumers” to pay “the same as in 2018” for their electricity bill, as President Pedro Sánchez rashly promised several months ago, and experts predict that energy prices will continue their monumental rise at least for the first quarter of next year, but at least the significant reduction in VAT and the elimination of taxes on electricity have led to more stable rates recently and the extension of these tax measures will help to soften the blow in the new year.
Mar Menor problems
The problems in the Mar Menor haven’t gone away and neither have we – we’re not going to let anyone forget it because it’s one of the greatest environmental tragedies going on anywhere in Europe and it can’t be swept under the rug.
Thankfully, Murcia’s regional government haven’t forgotten either, and keep making loud noises about how everything they do goes into helping stop pollution of the Mar Menor, prevent further incidents in the future or remove nitrates and other pollutants that are currently in the water.
Their most recent project is a new 1.7-million-euro rainwater collector in Los Alcázares. The town of Los Alcázares is prone to flooding when the torrential winter rains and storms come (as are many other parts of Murcia and Alicante), and so the new 971-metre infrastructure aims to catch rainwater to prevent floods in the area and, by the by, to prevent the run-off of water into the Mar Menor that carries with it particles and sludge that are foreign and harmful to the lagoon’s ecosystem.
This is even more important in the light of a new discovery this week that at least five of the reservoirs along the Segura River running through Murcia and Alicante are suffering the same plight as the Mar Menor. The Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura (CHS), which monitors water quality in the river, has highlighted “increasingly frequent and more intense” episodes of algal bloom caused by nitrates, ammonium, nitrogen, sulphates, phosphates and phosphorus and other nasty chemicals that shouldn’t be in the water, and they don’t even know where it’s coming from!
Thank goodness, then, for the Estrella beer manufacturer, who this week has committed to the help to clear up the Mar Menor seabed, explaining that, “Since water is continuously present in the production of beer, at the Foundation we wanted to pay attention to two places that are fundamental in the water ecosystem of our region: the Segura River that supports us and our beloved Mar Menor.”
Still, from the words of Ana Correa, President of the Confederation of Business Organisations of Cartagena (COEC), you could believe that the pollution in the Mar Menor has gone away and the only issue now is that farmers aren’t allowed to carry on watering their nitrate-sodden crops around the area.
“What can the farmers do who have paid their taxes for these lands and have developed their legal economic activity and suddenly one day they are told that they cannot work?” opined Ms Correa. Fair point, but surely within the Murcia government’s 85-million-euro budget for 2022 they can find a few spare bob to relocate these taxpayers’ land to a more suitable area for agricultural purposes, one where they won’t be destroying a protected natural habitat just by watering their plants.
Instead, the Murcian government is plumping for modernisation works to the irrigation systems of farms in the Campo del Mar Menor to the tune of 7 million euros. This will include such measures as installing automated irrigation systems, being able to control irrigation remotely and putting in photovoltaic solar plants to reduce electricity bills.
The worst thing about Ms Correa’s comments this week, though, was her pooh-poohing of the suggestion to build solar energy plants on those 1,500 metres surrounding the Mar Menor where her beloved farmers aren’t able to work anymore, simply because it “will generate green energy but not jobs”. Because jobs and the economy are more important than the natural world we and our fellow creatures call home, of course; as long as everybody’s got a job to keep them busy and keep the economy rumbling on, it doesn’t matter if the planet falls apart around us.
Murcia
The city council in Murcia made a monumental mistake this week after municipal workers placed Christmas decorations on a century-old and highly fragile ficus tree in the Plaza Santo Domingo. However, the festive ornaments were soon removed after locals kicked up a fuss about the protected specimen, which was planted 1893, and the council has since blown the blunder off as a “small coordination mistake”. Another, more light-hearted, Christmas decoration scandal also hit the capital city this week, when social media users pointed out that one of Murcia’s festive trees looked like a sunflower seed, or ‘pipa’. The comparison led to an amusing exchange between the snack company Grefusa and the Mayor of Murcia on Twitter.
A disastrous accident at a roundabout in San Javier took place on Wednesday December 15, involving a van, an ambulance and a car. The crash left seven people injured, including two elderly residents, one of whom had to have his arm amputated as a result of the collision. The accident was reportedly caused by a van transporting several field workers, which entered the roundabout near Los Arcos hospital without giving way. Several of the workers were thrown from the vehicle on impact and were left strewn across the road.
In regards to the regional health system in Murcia, the College of Physicians revealed some bad news this week as they announced that Murcian doctors have been leaving in droves for better working conditions in other Spanish regions, creating a shortfall in the profession for the first time ever. However, the regional health authorities also announced this week that they would be investing 318 million euros into the health system, of which a large chunk, 11.3 million to be exact, will go towards primary care, including improving and increasing facilities and services in Corvera, La Manga, Caravaca and Archena, along with other neighbourhoods.
This investment is just as well as locals in Cartagena and the surrounding areas are starting to get fed up with the constantly overwhelmed health centres, with patients frequently having to make over 15 calls just to get through to their local centres.
Want to know what’s going on in your local area? CLICK HERE TO CHECK OUT OUR EVENTS DIARY!
Spain
As Spain tightens up on travel restrictions, budget airline Ryanair has fully resumed its 620 routes in Spain and inaugurated the expansion of a maintenance hangar in Sevilla for its planned European fleet of 600 aircraft, which will employ 250 new employees following an investment of 16 million euros.
The airline giant has warned though that while fares have been slashed to encourage travel, ticket prices are likely to go up again next year, though whether this will be enough to get people to buy their flights now is debatable because the likelihood of cancellations due to Covid is so high.
Last week we learned that the DGT plans to increase their presence on Spanish roads over the festive period to cut down on drunk driving, but with a plethora of other infractions waiting to catch drivers out, it’s important to know how to pay a traffic fine in Spain, and indeed how to cut down on the cost. The good folk at the DGT actually offer drivers a 20-day grace period, during which time motorists can pay a 50% reduced rate on their fine, a handy money-saving tip in the run-up to Christmas.
With just a week to go until Santa arrives, most areas in Spain are expecting wet and windy weather on Christmas Day, with snow predicted in many regions. As if this wasn’t enough to dampen spirits, the State Plan for Civil Protection against Tsunami Risk has revealed that some 7,660 kilometres of Spain’s stunning coastline, which is home to 58% of the overall population – around 23 million people – could be at considerable risk of tidal waves, with Andalucía and the Canary Islands at the epicentre.
With this in mind, the government plans to roll out an early warning system across Spain next year, which will alert communities when adverse conditions are expected. One natural disaster that could be drawing to a close, though, is the volcano on the island of La Palma in the Canary Islands. The volcano has been quiet and not showing any activity since Wednesday December 15, and scientists have started the countdown to pronounce the eruption over after 88 days of continous lava flows.
Alicante
In Alicante this week, heroic police officers in Torrevieja earned well-deserved praise after two cops jumped into the sea at Paseo Maritimo Aparicio, risking their own lives to save an unconscious drowning woman. The 44-year-old had fallen into the water in pitch black conditions, and without a thought for their own safety, the officers threw themselves into the sea to rescue her.
Meanwhile, colleagues in Novelda made arrests following a four-month investigation into violent fights across the town, all of which appeared to be for “no apparent reason”. Following lengthy inquiries, police believe the three detainees recruited vulnerable young men, through intimidation or manipulation, to start mass brawls in the town, causing fear and “insecurity” amongst residents, though to what end is still a mystery.
Alicante city’s Food Bank launched its Christmas collection campaign which will take place throughout December to support 45,000 people through 186 charities. There has been an “increased demand due to the pandemic”, and organisers are desperate to ensure “no one in the province goes hungry this festive period”.
Staying in Alicante, Europe’s leading cruise liner, MSC Cruises, has selected the city port as the embarkation point for one of its most emblematic ships, the MSC Orchestra, for its new 2022 Mediterranean tour. Around 40,000 travellers are expected to board the liner on 12 separate occasions next year, which will have “a significant economic impact on the city”.
For those registered (‘empadronado’) in the Valencian Community, holidaying closer to home could also be a good option, and even work out cheaper than expected following the launch of the ‘Bonoviaje 2022’ voucher scheme offering discounts on Costa Blanca breaks and hotels for next year.
However, not everybody is happy about an influx of visitors, or at least certain behaviour, as is the case in Javea where a popular cove is reportedly overrun with caravans parking up overnight, despite a ban on pernoctations. Residents in Cala Grandella are fed up with visitors in caravans and motorhomes ‘camping up’ on the beach and are calling on the Town Hall to find a solution to the “illegal” activity.
There can’t be many motorists who haven’t been spooked by a cat or dog that’s run out into the road only to dart off again. But according to data from the regional government, road accidents involving wild animals in the Valencia region unfortunately having soared by 26% in two years, continuing an upward trend, with nine out of 10 of the collisions involving boar or deer. It really does pay to go slow on those winding country roads, especially if driving at night, to avoid hitting any of these beautiful creatures.
The puppies, too, need protecting, as evidenced when police in Elche uncovered an illegal puppy farm which was allegedly breeding and selling potentially dangerous dogs without authorisation and in violation of urban planning regulations. Whether they were being bred for fighting purposes or as pets, this kind of activity can’t be allowed to continue because dog breeding is controlled for a reason, to ensure proper conditions for the animals. Luckily in this case, the animals were rescued unharmed and the breeders were stupid enough to advertise the puppies for sale on social media, which is how police were able to identify them!
Andalucía
Be careful out there on the coast this weekend, as meteorologists in Andalucía are predicting very strong, force 7 winds along the Costa del Sol and other coasts of Granada and Cádiz. They issued an orange weather warning for the Málaga coast on Thursday and, while this was expected to be downgraded to yellow for Friday and Saturday, conditions in the sea were still rough on Friday morning to warrant the extension of the orange alert, with the wind creating waves of up to 3 metres high. Not at tsunami levels yet, then, but still choppy enough to warrant caution.
It’s not just the coast of Granada but inland that is experiencing adverse natural phenomena too. On Tuesday of this week, the town of Alhama de Granada was the epicentre of a magnitude 3.2 earthquake. The earthquake started at around 5.36am at a depth of 52 kilometres and lasted for a few minutes. Luckily, there weren’t any material damages or personal injuries reported, but it is the second earthquake registered in the province of Granada within the space of just a week. There was another quake the previous Tuesday, December 7, in the municipality of Chauchina, though that one registered slightly lower on the Richter scale at 2.7.
Sticking in Granada, there was a curious case of carbon monoxide poisoning this week that left three people hospitalised. What happened was that the water heater in a house in the town of Albuñol wasn’t burning fuel properly and began letting off carbon monoxide, which built up in the property and knocked the three occupants unconscious. They were found by emergency services lying on the floor, out cold, and were immediately transferred to the Santa Ana de Motril hospital. So now you know, if you’ve got a gas-powered boiler, be sure to give it a check up regularly, and if not, at least be sure to have your neighbours come round and check up on you regularly!
Disgraceful scenes in Chiclana in the province of Cádiz this week as an ambulance was fired at with a pellet gun while the health team and a patient were actually travelling inside the vehicle. The windows were damaged by the shots, though fortunately no additional harm came to any of the passengers. There was no apparent reason for the shooting, but doctors unions have warned that this is not the first time health services have been mistreated during this pandemic.
“After the enormous effort made by the professionals in this pandemic in which we are still immersed, in addition to the workload to which they are being subjected due to staff cuts made by the Ministry of Health (more than 80,000 dismissals throughout Andalucia),” they said, “we regret that they are not valued as they deserve and that, on the contrary, they are being punished both by the Administration and by users, going from applause to threats.”
Finally, if you feel like a bit of fine dining (maybe not for your Christmas party or mass get-together), you could do worse than to visit one of Andalucía’s new Michelin-starred restaurants. The latest Michelin stars to be handed out went to Cañabota, a restaurant in Seville specialising in traditional fish dishes, and Nintai, a Japanese restaurant in Marbella where there is just one wooden bar in the middle and only twelve seats in the whole place where you can see the food prepared fresh in front of you. Wallets out and dig in!
You may have missed…
1. Rain clouds ahead: Murcia weather forecast December 15 to 19
Wet weather for the Murcia Region this weekend, though temperatures are expected to remain mild.
Alicante-Elche Airport is one of the routes in Spain included in British Airways’ new low cost flights starting in March 2022, with tickets already on sale.
At a working dinner between Spain’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, and his British counterpart, Liz Truss, it was agreed to extend the memorandum of understanding that regulates relations with Gibraltar until the New Year.
A twisted thug who beat a cat to death with a stick in Alhama de Murcia back in 2020 has been found guilty of animal abuse, but his four-month prison sentence has been suspended for two years.
Seven fixed speed radars in the Valencia region were amongst the 50 most lucrative cameras in Spain in terms of generating cash through fines issued in 2020, including one on Alicante’s N-332.
That’s not quite all for this week. Remember this is our last Editor’s Roundup Bulletin of the year. We’re off for a couple of weeks, but don’t worry – the next instalment will be in your inbox on January 8 and everyone will get the full number of bulletins they paid for.
We’re also leaving you with a special Christmas crossword (or two!), to keep you busy over the holidays. Just click on the link below to solve the cryptic clues to our (mostly Christmas-themed) crossword.
You can find the same crossword below, but with quick clues instead of cryptic. Beware, the answers are the same!
We’ll reveal the answers when we come back after the Three Kings holiday (‘El Día de los Reyes Magos’).
Thanks a lot for reading. Have a very Merry Christmas, a wonderful New Year, and please be safe and keep each other safe!
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