Feijóo and the covid passport: satisfaction and a study on limits

Feijóo celebrates the elbichito passport and opens the door to limiting standing activities

What can you ban when almost everything has already been banned? The authorisation of the elbichito passport left Alberto Núñez Feijóo «satisfied», and that press conference also produced an announcement that sums up the method: limits on standing activities will be studied. The scene — a leader happy about a certificate and, in the same breath, the possibility of regulating citizens' body posture — is the starting point of a debate that, over time, has shifted from bewilderment to the bill.

The original material includes that statement and the announcement of the study. There are no infection figures or economic impact data at the start: there is a political decision and a declared intention. And that is where the problem begins, because limiting standing activities requires defining what standing means, where, for how long and with what penalty. The fine print was left to the technicians.

From the elbichito passport to doubts about body posture

The elbichito passport was presented as a tool for reopening safely. The authorisation came through and the regional premier said he was «satisfied». So far, the usual script. The striking part was the addition: studying limits on standing activities. A measure that, in practice, affects concerts, bars, terraces and any event where the audience remains upright.

The subsequent debate did not stop at the anecdote. Some argue that the announcement reveals a way of governing by improvisation, with no prior evaluation or published criteria. Against that weighs the argument that any health authority explores scenarios before deciding. The difference lies in announcing the study before having the study.

The measures that are not forgotten

Over the months, the conversation turned to the record. Mobility restrictions, closures and fines are remembered. So is the proposal, once the state of alarm ended, of a pandemic law to extend measures without having to declare one. That point concentrates much of the criticism: not so much the specific restriction as the attempt to change the legal framework in order to apply it later.

The elbichito passport, meanwhile, remained as a symbol of an era. For some, a reasonable requirement; for others, a form of indirect pressure on those who were not vaccinated. The debate remains unresolved.

Who stands where

The most repeated criticism targets the Partido Popular (Spain's conservative party): backing the measures and then presenting itself as the alternative. On the other side, the argument is that decisions were made with the information available and that hindsight criticism is easy. Neither position is supported by concrete figures in the material.

What is clear is the pattern: announcement, satisfaction, study pending. And the underlying question — how far the regulation of everyday life can go — remains unanswered. It is not even known whether the study on standing activities ever existed. A minor detail, unless you had tickets for a concert.