Valencia is experiencing higher numbers of COVID cases again, but less than much of Europe and it is not currently under lockdown. We won't pretend now is a good moment to visit (or go on holiday anywhere of course) but Valencia is organised and ready to reopen to tourism fully later this year when the pandemic permits, so now is a good time to plan your escape and things to do when you get here.
In the meantime, nightclubs are closed but beaches are open and many hotels, bars, restaurants and attractions are up and running, albeit with important extra hygiene measures in place and restricted opening hours and capacities (bars/restaurants must close at 5pm for the time being and there is a maximum of 4 people to a table). Schools also re-opened after the Christmas holidays, last week, as planned.
More restrictions may be needed soon to relieve pressure on the health services, but everything remains calm.
It continues to be mandatory to wear a face mask in public everywhere, with the exception of beaches, or bars and restaurants while consuming food and drink (but you should still wear your face mask when ordering, when not eating or drinking, or when visiting the toilet). Social gatherings are limited to 6 people and there is also a nighttime curfew from 10pm to 6am.
Only essential travel is permitted into and out of the wider Valencia region, for example, for locals and expats that are resident here to return, or for other exceptional reasons. Travellers arriving into Spain from overseas are also required to present a negative COVID test certificate, more details on the Spanish government website here.
It is difficult to find directly comparable statistics about the current rate of infection for different regions in Europe, but the latest Spanish government figures, as of 8 January 2021, show the 7-day cumulative number of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in the Valencia region is 169 compared with 184 for Spain as a whole, or 212 for Catalonia, where Barcelona is located.
The latest figures from Statista show that the equivalent for the UK is 603, for the Netherlands 308, for Germany 149 and for France 127.
The Valencia government is coordinating the local COVID vaccination program and as of 8 January 2021 they had received 61,225 doses of the Pfizer/BioNtech vaccine from the central Spanish government, of which 15,695 have already been administered. More doses, including for the Moderna and AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines, are also expected to arrive soon, helping the campaign build up more momentum.