From today (Friday), the voluntary use of the Covid Certificate in the Canary Islands comes into force for all sectors that are subject to capacity or opening hour restrictions. Contrary to popular belief, the measure has been approved by the Superior Court of Justice (TSJC), and was published today (Thursday) in the Official Boletin of the Canary Islands (BOC).
Initially, it is available for use until January 15th, during which time it will be subject to monitoring and evaluation, and a decision will be made to apply for an extension during this period of time if data supports it.
If you are a business and decide to request it, the Canary Islands Health Service (SCS) has made the web app www.lectorcovid.com available for use to scan the QR code of the EU Digital COVID Certificates. It is easy to use in order for the measure to be effective, and will be available for download in the Apple Store, Google Play, and Huawei App Gallery in the next few days.
The use of this measure also establishes that in the venues, facilities, activities, or public spaces that voluntarily choose to require the accreditation of their clients and staff (anyone aged over 12 years and 3 months), the capacity, number of people in a group, and closing times can be used for the level below the one that the corresponding island is in.
If an island is in alert level 1, the use of the Covid Certificate is not necessary as there are not any extra benefits for capacity, group size, or closing time.
There are three ways that staff and clients can enter interiors if the use of the certificate is implemented:
- Full vaccination (14 days after second dose)
- Recovery certificate (only valid for 6 months)
- Negative test result (carried out in a legally authorized laboratory up to 48 hours in advance. Self-diagnostic tests are not sufficient).
The application of this measure has been approved by the TSJC and endorsed by the Unions of workers in the Canary Islands, and the business associations. Random checks that it is being used correctly will be carried out by Public Health and the State security forces (police), and misuse, for example, having a non-vaccinated worker or guests in your premises, is seen as a serious infraction with fines between 30,001 and 600,000 euros.
