Las Palmas: centre of infection

Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the capital of the province of Las Palmas, has become the centre of coronavirus infections on the Canaries. Of the 2,136 currently active cases on the Canary Islands, over half of them – 1,229 – are located in the Gran Canarian capital.

The trend contrasts with the early days of the crisis in March and April, when Tenerife’s capital Santa Cruz was the main focus of infections.

The situation is so worrying that the Canarian government fears that children will not be able to return to schools in the second week of September for fear of spreading infections. Meanwhile, Canarian health director Julio Pérez has warned that special measures may need to be taken in Las Palmas.

Several factors have been blamed for the number of outbreaks in Las Palmas. The city’s nightlife is lively, it’s spectacular town beach is frequently crowded and many Canarians spend time with family there during the summer months.

Last week health workers is Las Palmas complained that people who had tested positive for Covid-19 were ignoring quarantine recommendations and coming to health centres in person. Those in charge of contacting quarantined individuals have also complained that they frequently don’t answer the phone. Details of possible quarantine-breakers are passed to the Public Health department, which has the power to impose sanctions.

Meanwhile, Vallesecas, a rural municipality to the south west of Las Palmas, has become the first Canarian region to declare its own voluntary lockdown in to combat the recent rise in cases. The Mayor of the municipality, which currently has no active cases of coronavirus, last week asked residents to stay in their homes and avoid all unnecessary journeys.