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For the first time, the Aragonese writer living in Barcelona has given up joining his four brothers on these dates. Others consulted will remain in open spaces with their loved ones to avoid risks. All of them plan to reduce the celebrations to the narrowest family nucleus.
Prudence and responsibility. Two key words and reiterated from all areas before the Christmas holidays in a context in which infections have been increasing in recent days in Spain. From the highest levels of the central and Aragonese Government, a call is made to make a "last effort" to not throw overboard what has been achieved so far to confront the coronavirus pandemic. And this means spending Christmas in a different way than we are used to.
Juan José Badiola, director of the Laboratory of Encephalopathies and Emerging Communicable Diseases at the University of Zaragoza, also makes a similar call: "As the pandemic is evolving, we are in a very good situation in Aragon. Please, let's not spoil things."
This epidemiologist calls for compliance with health measures when we meet at home with those closest to us: keeping distance, ventilation "because aerosols are a danger", wearing a mask between dishes and not sharing anything; in addition to the usual hand hygiene. Also take even more extreme measures in the case of elderly people. And if a student comes from outside, a test is "not enough either." "The dangerous ones are especially the asymptomatic ones," he warns.
For his part, Jesús Gonzalo, a researcher in the Mycobacteria Genetics group at the University of Zaragoza and who has worked on the diagnosis of the coronavirus, remembers that the covid disease is the most deadly of all infectious diseases. "In just one year it has surpassed tuberculosis and malaria, which won the jackpot. This has to make us reflect; we have to have a lot of respect for it," warns Gonzalo, who also talks about a new challenge at the return of the Christmas: encourage vaccination due to the reluctance of a certain part of the population.
These are going to be an atypical Christmas in which family and friends will be missing from the table for the benefit of everyone's health. Six prominent Aragonese from the world of universities and research, business, culture and sports tell us how they are going to spend these important dates
