The Balearic health minister, Patricia Gómez, said on Thursday that family gatherings at Christmas should go ahead but that they should be "with all the safety measures that we know".

At a press conference, the minister observed that there are differences between this coming festive season and last year. "We are much more vaccinated than last year. There is no comparison." Nevertheless, she stressed the importance of continuing to observe the need for ventilation and of wearing masks, "even in the family environment, which is sometimes where we relax the most".

Gómez encouraged the approximately 160,000 people in the Balearics who have yet to be immunised to be vaccinated. "One is 20 times more likely to be admitted to intensive care, if one doesn't have the vaccine."

Wearing masks and maintaining social distance are necessary. In this regard, she appealed to "social and collective responsibility" and called for caution in enclosed spaces. "The use of masks is essential for social and family gatherings."