Spain has banned all flights arriving from the UK unless they are carrying Spanish nationals or residents, the Spanish government announced yesterday. The measure took effect today and it is not known how long it will last, although the decision is also due to be reviewed later today.

Today sees one of Spain’s strangest and most annual rituals, as the draw for El Gordo de Navidad takes place live on national television.

Hand-washing, distancing and face masks may be effective against Covid-19, but they’re also helping to keep flu at bay on the Canaries, with vaccines also appearing to play an important role.

There isn’t much good news around at the moment, so it seems a good time to remind any overseas holiday makers on Lanzarote that they are in one of the safest places in Europe.

While Covid numbers on Lanzarote have remained encouraging, infection rates continue to climb on Tenerife, which once again reported over 200 new cases yesterday and has seen 17 deaths in the last week.

The pandemic has sadly put an end to many of the usual seasonal events that we're used to, and among them are the traditional Christmas carol concerts by the Christmas Voices group from Lanzarote.

Spain’s parliament has voted to permit assisted dying for the terminally ill and those whose lives have become “intolerable”.

Cheap, rapid antigen tests will not be valid for entry to the Canary islands after the Spanish Council of State questioned last week’s Canarian decree permitting overseas tourists to use negative results of antigen tests. The next step for the Canarian Government is an almost-certain overruling in Spain’s Constitutional Court.

From tonight until Christmas it should be possible to see the great conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn , which has been hailed in the press as the first appearance of the Star of Bethlehem for 800 years.

The Canaries has rejected the idea of classifying Tenerife separately to the other islands in order to salvage the winter season.

The British Embassy is advising British residents in Spain who are visiting the UK for Christmas and returning in the New Year to carry proof of residence with them.

C.D. Magec Tías Contra la Violencia de Género is the full name of Lanzarote’s premier female basketball side, the first one to compete in a national league. Since 2017, the women from Tías have played in Spain’s Feminine League 2. We spoke to their coach, and 2020’s star signing at the Sports Pavilion in Tías recently.

In July, as Spain entered what was being called “the new normal”, the Canarian Government commissioned a public health advertisement to warn against the risks of family gatherings, which went viral on social media and won international awards.

Journalists, researchers and Covid nerds will be pleased to learn that the Canarian Health Service has launched a new daily report giving more information about the Covid-19 situation on all seven Canary Islands.