Towns that have never had Covid-19 in Alicante, Málaga, Valencia and Castellón

Whilst it may appear, from the headlines, that the virus is rife everywhere, this is not necessarily the case – one in three cases is in Madrid, and the majority are in Catalunya, Navarra and the Basque Country.

All regions have active cases – none have escaped entirely – although latest estimates show that in some parts of the country, up to seven in 10 are asymptomatic.

This is good news and bad news: Good news because seven in 10 people who have caught the SARS-CoV-2 virus are not ill and do not need hospital treatment; bad news because it means they are more likely to pass it on, as they do not realise they have it.

But it does mean hospitals are not struggling to cope the way they were in many parts of the country earlier in the year.

Which towns have never had any cases?

Although numerous others will be eligible for the list, here are the locations in just a few provinces – those most popular with holidaymakers in summer and with second-home buyers – where none of the residents has ever had Covid-19.

They include 28 in the province of Málaga, the coast of which is known as the Costa del Sol.

These are Árchez, Canillas de Albaida, El Borge, Comares, Cútar, Iznate, Alfarnatejo, Canillas de Aceituno, Salares, Sedella, La Viñuela, Carratraca, Totalán, Macharaviaya, Atajate, Benadalid, Benarraba, Jubrique, Benaoján, Jimera de Líbar, Montejaque, Alpandeire, Cartajima, Faraján, Júzcar, Montecorto, Pujerra and Serrato.

For area health departments in the province, that of La Vega has only registered one or more cases in five out of 19 towns in the past week – at present, no cases are active in Valle de Abdalajís, Villanueva del Rosario, Archidona, Cuevas Bajas, Cuevas de San Marcos, Villanueva de Algaidas, Villanueva de Tapia, Villanueva del Trabuco, Almargen, Campillos Sierra de Yeguas, Teba, Fuente de Piedra or Mollina.

For the Axarquía district, 21 out of 28 towns have not reported any new cases in over a week, and in the Valle del Guadalhorce, the towns of Carratraca, Alozaina and Guaro have not had any new diagnoses in that time.

All towns directly on the coast have had one or more cases, but in some, these are only in single figures.

No new cases of Covid-19 have been reported in the Serranía district, and in Málaga city, four of the six zones that make up the metropolitan area are currently virus-free.

In the province of Valencia, towns which have never had any cases of Coronavirus are Aielo de Rugat, Alcublas, Alfara de la Baronia, Alfarrasí, Alfauir, Almiserà, Andilla, Aras de los Olmos, Atzeneta d'Albaida, Benagéber, Beneixida, Beniatjar, Benicolet, Benicull de Xúquer, Beniflá, Benissoda, Benisuera, Bugarra, Calles, Carrícola, Cerdà, Chera, Dos Aguas, El Palomar, Emperador, Estubeny, Fontanars dels Alforins, Gátova, Gestalgar, Guadasséquies, the busy coastal town of Guardamar de la Safor (second picture), Higueruelas, La Granja de la Costera, Llaurí, Llocnou de la Corona, Llocnou de Sant Jeroni, Losa del Obispo, Montesa, Otos, Montitxelvo, Pinet, Potries, Quatretondeta, Ràfol de Salem, Salem, Sant Joanet (Ènova), Sellent, Sempere, Terrateig, Titaguas, Torrella, Torres Torres, Vallés, Villargordo del Cabriel, and Zarra.

For the province of Alicante, towns with no Covid-19 cases all year are Agres, Alcoleja, Almudaina, Balones, Benasau, Beniardá, Benifallim, Benifato, Benilloba, Benillup, Benimarfull, Benimassot, Benimeli, Bolulla, Busot, Canet lo Roig, Castell de Castells, Confrides, El Castell de Guadalest, Facheca, Famorca, Gaianes, Gata de Gorgos, Gorga, Jacarilla, L'Alqueria d'Asnar, L'Atzúvia, La Vall d'Ebo, Llíber, Millena, Murla, Orba, Parcent, Planes, Sanet y Negrals, Senija, Tàrbena, Tollos, Tormos, and the Vall de Gallinera.

In the case of Orba (first picture), with 2,000 inhabitants, and Gata de Gorgos, with 6,000, these are busy, densely-populated and heavily-transited municipalities which are home to a high number of British expatriates and close to the coast.

The province of Castellón has an equally long list of towns with no Coronavirus diagnoses ever: Aín, Algar de Palancia, Algimia de Almonacid, Almedíjar, Arañuel, Argelita, Atzeneta del Maestrat, Ayódar, Bejís, Benafer, Benafigos, Benassal, Castellfort, Castilla de Villamalefa, Catí, Chóvar, Cortes de Arenoso, Culla, El Toro, Espadilla, Fanzara, Fuente la Reina, Fuentes de Ayódar, Herbés, Higueras, La Mata de Morella, La Serratella, La Torre d'En Doménec, La Torre d'En Besora, Les Coves de Vinromà, Les Useres, Ludiente, Matet, Montanejos, Palanques, Pavías, Pina de Montalgrao, Puebla de Arenoso, Sacañet, Segart, Sot de Chera, Teresa, Torás, Torralba del Pinar, Torrechiva, Vallat, Vallibona, Villanueva de Viver, Villores, Zorita del Maestrazgo, and Zucaina.

Many more in all four of these provinces have no cases at all at present.

All the above were correct at the time of publication.