OBSOLETE COVID THREAD Camino and covid 2022

[anotherpilgrim]

Hello.

I can't seem to find any general, updated info about walking the camino right now and covid. Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but here goes.

How does it work?
What about albergues? Do you have to wear a mask, also when sleeping? I just don't see how restrictions and camino walking can be combined. What are your experiences? For me, camino is living freely, socializing and living in the momemt. I would like to walk the camino portugues or via da la plata this april, but I just can't imagine how it would work.
Thank you for your thoughts!

 

[NualaOC]

Hi @anotherpilgrim.

There's a subform here on the topic of Covid and the Camino. Hopefully you'll find some helpful information there.

Happy planning and Buen Camino.
Nuala

 

[Former member 92300]

I walked last summer when Spain first re-opened to vaccinated tourists. The restrictions were pretty easy to manage. At first, masking was compulsory EVERYWHERE - indoors and outdoors. What we did was in town, we always wore masks. If locals were around, we always wore a mask. When we were far from towns and there were no others around we did remove masks as there was an exception with physical activity (can't remember the wording at the time though). During our walk, the rules changed and masks were only compulsory indoors and I think in crowded venues in or outdoors. But we found that the locals almost always continued to wear their masks outdoors - so again - when locals were around we always wore masks. Regarding albergues - masks were a must during check in and in all the common areas, but they were not required when showering or sleeping and to be honest, very few people wore them in the actual bedrooms - but then again - there were less people walking and we had all become a "Camino Family" anyway. But once we reached Sarria - there were more people around so we began wearing our masks even in the bedrooms. Except when we showered or were sleeping. We also were always permitted to remove our masks when once our food and drinks arrived at restaurants and bars - so we spent a lot of time without masks at restaurants and bars and in lounge areas of albergues. I found it helpful to have a mask with the kind of earloop that you can slip the earloop around your wrist when closer to towns so that you can easily slip the mask on and off if you saw others approaching. Vaccination status and the health pass needed to be shown at the airport upon arrival and we always had the vaccination card and the heath pass accessible in case there was a need to show it. At that time - no one was asking to see a vaccination card but that has since changed as there were requirements to show at various locations. At the albergues they almost always give disposable pillowcase and bottom sheet now instead of real sheets (I got those rarely unless in a private room). At some albergues, they literally put hand sanitizer in your hand and sprayed your backpack and shoes as you walked in the door. Albergues rarely gave out blankets - even if they had pre-COVID. Communal dinners rarely took place, even in albergues that used to advertise them. Kitchens were mostly closed. Even with all of that - my COVID Camino was so amazing, I am doing it again this summer. Just keep your ears open for changes in COVID restrictions as you walk - the albergue owners were always happy to fill us in when changes took place so we wouldn't have problems.

 

[Former member 91017]

I travelled pretty frequently prior to COV. I have lived in France, Ireland, the US and Canada…. 25 cities, 3 provinces in Canada, and 2 US states.

3 caminos… and I would generally find myself some distant place for work 3-5 times a year — nothing like some friends who seemed to have to fly weekly to a client’s head office elsewhere… and nothing like my step-dad who said it was easier to say where he hadn’t been than where he had…

BUT — all of us learned that to travel well requires leaving your own ways at home. If you desire to travel, to be with the people in the world, in the place that they call home, with their food and their ways of organizing daily life…. Then you get ready to “get with the programme”.

I do not know what the albergues will require as far as masking goes — it could change over the course of April, May and June when I and Dear Spouse will be taking our successive walks.

I will take my favourite N95 masks (favourite because they have a foam strip at the nose that prevents glasses being fogged up). Those are for stores and transit. I will take lighter weight KF94’s for sleeping.

I have been treated with nothing but hospitality and kindness by the people of Spain and Portugal. The only negatives I have experienced or witnessed on camino have been at the hands of other pilgrims (a violent man with a pill dependency; a rumour mongering retired couple)…

Why on earth would I ever travel on a pilgrimage route that is sacred and think that I come before the locals?
A mask, where required — even as @jeanineonthecamino says above — is such a minor issue to be able to have the opportunity to find one’s way to Santiago.

 

[SabsP]

Hello.

I can't seem to find any general, updated info about walking the camino right now and covid. Sorry if I missed it somewhere, but here goes.

How does it work?
What about albergues? Do you have to wear a mask, also when sleeping? I just don't see how restrictions and camino walking can be combined. What are your experiences? For me, camino is living freely, socializing and living in the momemt. I would like to walk the camino portugues or via da la plata this april, but I just can't imagine how it would work.
Thank you for your thoughts!

You will adapt, like most of us did the last two years. You can still live freely , socialize and live in the moment, even with a mask.
Aside from that you will spend the best part of the day outside walking in the fresh air without a mask.

Most likely rules will be less strict next month as Covidnumbers are dropping.
We shall see what the different Spanish regions will decide when it comes to mandatory rules.

 

[C clearly]

Your thread is in the Covid section, so browse threads here, for information strictly related to Covid policies.

For the most up-to-date descriptions of the current walking situation, look at the LIVE from the Camino threads. You can find the current ones by clicking on "Pilgrims walking now - LIVE from the Camino" on the list of all Forums. Or find a longer list of LIVE threads here.

 

[MiaBu]

Probably unpopular for some people. But France and Spain dropping the vaccine/test regulations does not make me want to stay in dorm rooms much. Which is kinda a bummer for me. I know, Spain and France have really high vaccine rates. US, Germany and several other privileged countries are very low on vac. rates. You think all albergues gonna drop the check as well?

 

[Former member 91017]

Probably unpopular for some people. But France and Spain dropping the vaccine/test regulations does not make me want to stay in dorm rooms much. Which is kinda a bummer for me. I know, Spain and France have really high vaccine rates. US, Germany and several other privileged countries are very low on vac. rates. You think all albergues gonna drop the check as well?

Gawds... no idea.
As a fully vaccinated and boosted person, I am completely unworried about interactions with the locals who are likely also vaccinated. But I'm choosing a route that is likely to be less populated. a friend is out there now and tells me that the VdLP is so quiet that she can go days without seeing anyone. I hope for similar on the Norte in just a few weeks.

 

[Wanderingfriend]

I travelled pretty frequently prior to COV. I have lived in France, Ireland, the US and Canada…. 25 cities, 3 provinces in Canada, and 2 US states.

3 caminos… and I would generally find myself some distant place for work 3-5 times a year — nothing like some friends who seemed to have to fly weekly to a client’s head office elsewhere… and nothing like my step-dad who said it was easier to say where he hadn’t been than where he had…

BUT — all of us learned that to travel well requires leaving your own ways at home. If you desire to travel, to be with the people in the world, in the place that they call home, with their food and their ways of organizing daily life…. Then you get ready to “get with the programme”.

I do not know what the albergues will require as far as masking goes — it could change over the course of April, May and June when I and Dear Spouse will be taking our successive walks.

I will take my favourite N95 masks (favourite because they have a foam strip at the nose that prevents glasses being fogged up). Those are for stores and transit. I will take lighter weight KF94’s for sleeping.

I have been treated with nothing but hospitality and kindness by the people of Spain and Portugal. The only negatives I have experienced or witnessed on camino have been at the hands of other pilgrims (a violent man with a pill dependency; a rumour mongering retired couple)…

Why on earth would I ever travel on a pilgrimage route that is sacred and think that I come before the locals?
A mask, where required — even as @jeanineonthecamino says above — is such a minor issue to be able to have the opportunity to find one’s way to Santiago.

Couldn’t agree more. Fellow Canadian here.