RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – After an outbreak of Covid-19 at a party in the Embassy in Madrid, the Brazilian diplomatic service closed its doors in the capital of Spain.
One of the officials, infected with the coronavirus, attended a reception at the ambassador’s official residence that counted over 30 people, according to diplomatic sources. “He said he was sick only one day after the party, which sparked panic,” said a source.
Ambassador Pompeu Andreucci Neto summoned diplomats for a trivial reason: the departure of a colleague, transferred to another post, according to sources.
In reaction to a request for information regarding the party and the closing of the Brazilian representation in the Spanish capital, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that an employee tested positive on January 23rd and was immediately quarantined.
And “in order to protect the other employees and the embassy’s local staff, the office has moved to remote work as of Monday, January 25th, and should remain so until February 8th”.
According to the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, “the embassy’s essential activities will be safeguarded during this time. The building will undergo a ‘sanitization process.'” There were no comments about the party.
Due to the worsening of Covid-19, Madrid has implemented restrictions on meetings of people who are not from the same household, a ban on parties and a curfew.
Madrid Mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida gave a harsh statement to the Spanish newspaper El País on January 22nd, criticizing the holding of meetings during the second wave of the pandemic. “The time has come to say enough is enough for illegal parties” because “the city of Madrid does not deserve to see its name soiled by this bunch of irresponsible people.”
Under the Vienna Convention, embassies are immune to penalties such as those provided in decrees and national laws to fight the Covid. “But it’s wrong,” a diplomat said.