As restrictions are relaxed and people are allowed to do more, it is easy to forget that we are still in the midst of a pandemic and lower your guard thinking “it won’t affect me”, as has happened at a funeral in Gran Canaria which has highlighted how easily the virus can spread.
So far 52 people have tested positive and over 200 have had to isolate after a funeral, attended by the correct number of people, in the municipality of La Aldea last month. According to the Ministry of Health trackers, the correct number of people were at the wake but they ignored social distancing and didn’t wear masks, and now the people who attended the funeral are giving the virus to family and friends.
The mayor of La Aldea de San Nicolás, Tomás Pérez, has appealed to the responsibility of citizens to stop the transmission as soon as possible by "avoiding going out and leaving their homes unnecessarily", as the incidence of the epidemic had been minimal until now in the municipality. Pérez highlighted the responsibility shown by the town’s population, and is disappointed that irresponsibility has led to this, and the installation of a PCR test centre as they fear there will be more infections to come.
The control of this outbreak is being carried out by Public Health, which is why the epidemic data of the municipality does not appear in the coronavirus transparency portal, which collects information from basic health areas. However, in the last seven days La Aldea has registered 24 positives and presents accumulated incidents that indicate a very high risk of contagion, according to the epidemic report issued yesterday.
For the fourth consecutive week, the Canary Islands registered more than a hundred outbreaks, as 136 were detected in the last seven days compared to the 138 declared in the previous week.
So far these 136 outbreaks have resulted in 901 infected people, of which 21 have required hospitalization and one has died. 60% of them occurred in Gran Canaria (81); 40 were in Lanzarote, 14 in Tenerife, and one in Fuerteventura.
By the source in which they occurred, 59 outbreaks are family-related, 36 from social gatherings, 25 in the work environment, eleven educational, two sports, one hospital, one social and health care, and another in the Temporary Stay Center for Immigrants of Hoya Fría, in Tenerife, with 21 cases.
Two outbreaks that have arisen in bars and restaurants and one in a pastry shop, are among those of work origin, while the two of sports are linked to Gran Canaria volleyball clubs.
Most outbreaks have fewer than 10 people affected. Among the most numerous, three stand out in Gran Canaria, one with 31 positives in the workplace and family, which has affected the personnel of a packaging company.
In addition to these, 38 outbreaks detected in previous weeks, including that of La Aldea, are still active and continue in follow-up.
Image: Temporary test centre in La Aldea
