The Governing Council have decided to leave all islands in the same alert level for another week except for El Hierro which moves to Level 2, after studying the epidemiological data at this afternoons meeting in Santa Cruz. The spokesperson for the Canary Islands Government, Julio Perez, explained why and gave the revisions of the alert levels in a press conference after the meeting.
This means that the islands are in the following alert levels:
LEVEL 3: Tenerife and Gran Canaria
LEVEL 2: Lanzarote, Fuerteventura and El Hierro
LEVEL 1: La Palma and La Gomera
Perez confirmed that the major change is that the hospitality sector in Level 3 can stay open to the public until 11.00pm, but only with use of their terraces at the moment as interiors are still closed to the public. This was proposed after analysis by the Ministry of Health from requests from the hospitality sector saying that the extra hour could account for a 30% increase in turnover, and because the rules are increasingly known and are being better applied in general. He also confirmed that there is NO change for the use of interiors in Level 3.
Regarding the evolution of the pandemic in Tenerife and Gran Canaria, he said that, “the number of infections in these two island remains at worrying levels. The figures make it mandatory to maintain the levels in these Islands taking into account that over the last 15 days, Tenerife has averaged over 100 new infections per day, and Gran Canaria 80.”
The government has also agreed to allow mobility between islands at level 3, i.e. Gran Canaria and Tenerife, provided there is just cause and with a negative PCR or antigen test in the same way as it was permitted during the Easter restrictions. This means people can come into, or leave, these islands for leisure breaks.
All will be confirmed in the Boletin Oficial of the Canary Islands (BOC) in the next 48 hours before implemented.
He also confirmed that measures for when the state of alarm finishes on May 9th were looked at, as restrictions will be decided by regional government and not central government from May 10th onwards, as they were between July and November last year before the second wave of the virus hit Spain.
It is expected from May 10th, that there will continue to be a curfew but possibly from 1am with hospitality closing at midnight, and no percentages of capacity for use of interiors and terraces, jut the correct spacing, not exceeding the official capacity of the premises.
The requirements for international travel haven’t been announced yet either, but last year the Canary Islands Government introduced allowing antigen tests when staying in licensed tourist accommodation, alongside the Canaries Covid insurance. It is also possible that this could be reintroduced for when tourists can come to the islands again, especially with vaccination increasing and the introduction of vaccination ‘passports’.
