The Canary Islands Government will confirm their decisions at 7.00pm tonight regarding the change of alert levels for Tenerife and Gran Canaria, after a second Governing Council meeting this week in which they will review the latest epidemiological data for the two islands.
Following yesterdays update from the Ministry of Health, and according to the trends that the islands are following, everything indicates that Tenerife will return to alert Level 2 because it is flattening the contagion curve, and that Gran Canaria will go to Level 3 as a consequence of the notable increase in positive cases.
There are notable changes between Level 2 and 3, and Tenerife residents will welcome a relaxation in restrictions they have endured for over a month. Curfew will change from 10pm to 11pm meaning bars and restaurants can stay open later, plus they can use their interiors up to 50% capacity. Although many owners in this sector say this won’t make a difference, it’s important to remember that much more is affected than just hospitality.
Gyms and sports centres will be able to re-open inside meaning people can train again, beneficial not for just physical health, but mental health too. Hospital and nursing home visits will be allowed again under supervision, so that families can visit their loved ones, all be it in a limited way.
The president of the Canary Islands, Angel Víctor Torres, said yesterday that “it is very likely that both changes will take place”, in line with the recommendations that he released on Wednesday. He was also asked about the possibility of another ‘lockdown’ for the islands, replying that this has been ruled out, saying that “returning to a 15-day confinement could be better from a health point of view, but that the economy would go bankrupt, and it has already suffered the ravages of zero tourism.”
For this reason, he encouraged everyone "to find a balance between health and normality” because “Covid is not going to go away until we have all been vaccinated.”
The Ministry of Health data will be given to the Government at 2.00pm this afternoon, and the public at 4.00pm. This is what will be reviewed before an announcement at 7.00pm and then published in the BOC for implementation on Monday. We wait with bated breath!
