Albergues limited occupancy

[norfolk-keith]

Good evening fellow pilgrims
I have a question for anyone who has walked during the past 2-3 months and everyone walking now on the Frances.
Back when I walked it in 2021 Albergues we’re still limited to 30% occupancy, can anyone give me an update on the current occupancy status as I fly out on the 9th July and it would just be nice to know if beds are still limited.
Many thanks to everyone
Buen Camino Keith

 

[Tincatinker]

No limits are applied currently

 

[markie6]

I didn't notice any limits in September '22 when I walked and would not expect any in '23 either. AFAIK the last of the covid restrictions ( masks on public transport ) has been lifted too

 

[trecile]

I didn't notice any limits in September '22 when I walked and would not expect any in '23 either. AFAIK the last of the covid restrictions ( masks on public transport ) has been lifted too

I believe that masks are still required in health care facilities, including pharmacies, but I was able to quickly duck into a pharmacy for a quick purchase without a mask. (I did have one in my backpack back at the albergue)

 

[norfolk-keith]

I didn't notice any limits in September '22 when I walked and would not expect any in '23 either. AFAIK the last of the covid restrictions ( masks on public transport ) has been lifted too

Thanks Markie6 that’s one less thing to worry about Keith

 

[dougfitz]

I walked the Variante Espiritual from Valenca and Sanabres from Ourense using mainly Xunta, private albergues and some private rooms. There were no arrangements in place where I stayed in dormitories to limit bed occupancy.

 

[Tincatinker]

Is the Variante Espiritual recognized by the Pilgrims Office yes or not ?
last year it was not. This year there was doubt about it and I checked it out by someone who worked at the Pilgrims Office at volunteer but he could not give me an answer . The only thing we knew so far its that the official routes from Portugal are
240 kms by the Central route from Porto via Tui , the coastal from Porto to Vila do Conde and from there to the Central route 260 kms and the coastal route from Porto via Baiona and Vigo , 280 kms.
Today I got the confirmation that if you walk one of these routes and the Variante Espiriutual and you ask for a certificate of Distance, the kms mentioned on this document, in this case from a friend who walked from Porto to Vila do Conde and from there on the Central route via Tui were 260 kms . The extra kms for the VE -about 55 kms - were not counted.This friend arrived today in Santiago

What has this to do with the price of fish? The question here is about the availability of Albergue beds and application of any government imposed limitations on occupancy.

The vagaries of the rules of the Pilgrims Office and their application of them deserve a separate thread, possibly an entirely separate forum