(NOTE: The coronavirus semaphore will be updated, from now on, on Mondays and Thursdays, with the publication of the Health Department bulletin)

The epidemiological situation worsens in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC), according to the latest list of the colored traffic light prepared by the Department of Health of the Basque Government, which serves to classify municipalities according to the severity of the incidence of covid- 19 in the CAV. Thus, in total they are 152 the municipalities, so much big as small, with a rate higher than 150 cases, 15 more than on Monday. Bilbao, with 165 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, is added to Vitoria-Gasteiz and San Sebastián, so that all the Basque capitals are already in a critical zone.

By territory, 20 towns in Álava, 62 in Bizkaia and 71 in Gipuzkoa will have to decide whether to continue with those activities in which preventive health measures cannot be maintained, or to suspend them.

Álava continue in red territory with 253 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Eight more localities have been added to the list of municipalities with high transmission, and there are already 20 in total. Of particular concern is the situation of Salvatierra, which is close to 900 cases (878 points). Vitoria-Gasteiz continues to increase in incidence (260 cases per 100,000 inhabitants), while Llodio remains at the gates of the critical zone (147). It should be noted that numerous small municipalities (21, specifically) maintain their incidence at 0, and the low transmission detected in Amurrio, which being the third most populated locality, has a rate of 48 cases, and therefore remains in the area verde.

The impact of the virus continues to escalate also in Bizkaia, with 229 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. In the red zone they are, likewise, 62 municipalities, nine more than Monday. Bilbao (165), Gorliz or Leioa (both with 168) are among the new additions. The Left Bank, which brings together the most populated towns in Bizkaia such as Barakaldo (120) or Santurtzi (111), manages to maintain the Orange, with the exception of Portugalete (344 cases per 100,000 inhabitants). However, the high incidences registered in towns such as Elorrio (939) or Durango (829) are worrying.

Gipuzkoa continues to be the most affected territory, with 648 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, and remains in the red zone, along with 71 locations more, that is, three more than last week. The incidence remains soaring in 19 localities (the majority small), which exceed the threshold of 1,000 cases per 100,000 inhabitants. Among them, Zumarraga (1690), Urretxu (1347) and Azpeitia (1636) stand out. Soraluze-Placencia de las Armas, Deba and Oiartzun, so far in orange, have turned red, so there is no longer any large municipality outside the critical zone.

The covid-19 traffic light is an adaptation of the color map approved by the European Union (EU) and which includes the cumulative incidence rate in the last 14 days.