After the fiasco that was this week in La Oliva after our Mayor, Pilar González Segura issued an authorized increase from alert level II to level III of the municipality only to revoke it a day and a half later, there are more changes to the island’s status, only this time from the correct source.
Following on from the temporary measures decreed throughout the Canary Islands last week, yesterday, Fuerteventura has officially gone from Alert Level I to Level II due to increased cases that are no doubt a result from illegal mass gatherings and parties since Christmas and especially over New Year’s where standard security measures have not been properly observed.
A Plenary Session of the Canarian Government was held on Thursday 14th January 2021 to amend the alert levels of Lanzarote (increased to Level III), Fuerteventura (increased to Level II) and La Gomera (reduced to Level I) and came into effect yesterday, Friday 15th January until Thursday 28th January inclusive as can be seen on the released Announcement.
Restrictions for Alert Level II are:
- Curfew: Freedom of movement is limited between 11pm and 6am every day
- Limitations of groups of people in public and private areas: This is restricted to a maximum of FOUR persons except in the cases of co-habitants. If the group is a mixture of both co-habitants and non co-habitants, the maximum is still FOUR.
- Specific measures for the Hotel and Restaurant Sector (terraces, bars and cafes): The maximum number of persons permitted per table is reduced from six to FOUR and the establishment must close to the public by 11pm. Activities that do not allow the required 2 metre safety distance are not permitted in terraces or other open-air spaces attached to the establishment, i.e., dancing, karaoke and similar
- Sport Activities: Group or team sports practiced in indoor installations and sports centres that do not allow a permanent safety distance of 2 metres between persons is restricted to a maximum of FOUR persons per group including the instructor. In open-air areas, team sports that do not guarantee a permanent safety distance between participants at all times are not permitted. Group activities where it is not possible to maintain a permanent 2 metre security distance are restricted to a maximum of FOUR persons per group including the instructor (Personal Note: This last part for open-air activities seems contradictory because it is either not permitted or restricted so use discretion here)
- Hospitals and Public Health Centres: Visitation is limited and must be supervised by health care specialists within the centres. Proper clinical face masks must be used otherwise entry will be refused.
- Public Transport: In regular public road transport, the maximum capacity has been reduced to 50%. Police forces will be extra vigilant during peak times/ rush hour to prevent crowds from gathering at bus stops etc., and request only essential travel at these times. The frequency of bus routes will be increased and as before, food and drink may not be consumed on board and masks must be used correctly (not under the nose or chin)
These measures will be reviewed again around 28th January to see whether they have been successful or not and if the number of cases decrease, Fuerteventura may return to Alert Level I.
Personally, I am not one for checking the daily statistics of the Canary Islands as I find it too depressing to be so immersed in everything COVID-19, but since we are on the subject, the latest report of the last 24 hours shows the following:
There have been 368 new cases which takes the total number of accumulated cases in the Canary Islands to 30.946 of which there are 7.825 active cases (55 remain in Intensive Care; 300 are hospitalized and the remainder are quarantining at home). There have been four deaths (two males from Tenerife and two from Gran Canaria) aged between 49 and 82 and all with pre-existing medical conditions.