Madrid Covid Pilgrim Infects Walkers On St James Route

A 53-year-old woman walking the popular Way of St James – Camino de Santiago – route in Spain continued her pilgrimage despite fears she was infected with COVID-19.

She has reportedly infected up to eight other walkers as a result.

The unnamed woman from the Spanish capital Madrid had been tested and told to self-isolate, but decided not to bother, and instead carried on walking the Camino de Santiago, known in English as the Way of St James, with a group of 17 people.

The pilgrimage leads to the shrine of the apostle Saint James the Great in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela in the northern Spanish region of Galicia.

According to the newspaper Diario de Pontevedra, the woman began noticing flu-like symptoms two days into the route and she visited a health centre in the town of Palas de Rei in Galicia.

She underwent a PCR test and was asked to self-isolate while awaiting the results, however, she reportedly decided to continue with the group on the journey.

Hours later, the woman was informed that her test result was positive after already arriving in Arzua where she then stopped to quarantine.

The other walkers in her group will undergo tests to learn if they need to self-isolate as well.

The regional health ministry said that there are eight positive cases of COVID-19 in Arzua which are linked to the infected woman, according to a report in Diario de Pontevedra.

The Camino de Santiago was reopened a month ago after Spain’s strict lockdown and there are said to be fewer pilgrims than normal this year.

According to the latest figures from the Johns Hopkins University, Spain has registered 377,906 cases of COVID-19 and 28,813 related deaths.