Hi Chef66. We can't add anything about the Covid situation, but as regards the weather, our experience is that you will be fine. From late October to mid-January (2018/19) we walked the Sureste from Alicante to Benavente, then backtracked on the VDLP from Benavente to Zamora, then took the Portuguese variant of the VDLP to Braganca, and then the southern variant of the Sanabres from Verin to Ourense, and onto Santiago, (and then to A Coruna on the Ingles). Yes there were shorter daylight hours, some rain, water, mud, wind and cold, but nothing that was too challenging, difficult or dangerous. In fact, most days were delightful. We had good equipment and you will probably need to carry a bit more for the winter conditions. Otherwise, we would recommend walking in winter. We have also walked the VDLP from Seville to Santiago/Finisterre/Muxia in October/November and it too was not a problem as regards the weather.