Madrid (AFP)
Spain celebrated its "Hispanic Day" on Tuesday, the national holiday, with the return of military parades in Madrid, marking one more step towards normality at a time when the Covid-19 figures are at the most low.
Riders, paratroopers or orchestral musicians have reinvested in the Plaza de Lima of the Spanish capital, under the eyes of the royal family and the government, after a parade canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic.
Although masked and in small numbers, these soldiers paraded under planes and alongside tanks to celebrate the day of the discovery of America attributed to Christopher Columbus in 1492, the beginning of the expansion of the Kingdom of Spain.
The country recorded on Monday 46 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 inhabitants in 14 days: an incidence at the lowest since July 2020, after the first wave of cases which made Spain one of the most bereaved countries of Europe.
Faced with this improvement, the executive of the tourist region of Catalonia, in the north-east, announced on Tuesday the end of most of the filling and time limits in the hotel and restaurant industry, as well as in sports venues. and cultural, and this from Friday, on condition of receiving the green light from justice.
The country also has one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe, with 87.7% of the population over the age of 12 fully vaccinated on Monday, according to the health ministry.
On the other side of the Atlantic, this celebration of the conquest of America continues to generate heated controversy in the Spanish-speaking world, especially in Mexico, where the nationalist left in power settles its accounts with Spain with speeches. natives who marked this year the double anniversary of the conquest and independence.
© 2021 AFP