Lanzarote and La Graciosa will be the first islands to be placed in Level 4 after the Canarian Government yesterday decided that stricter measures were required in order to deal with the continued rise in Covid-19 cases on the island. The new restrictions will apply from midnight tonight, Friday 22nd January.

Comments by Arrecife’s tourist councillor have raised questions about the Level 3 rules which Lanzarote is currently experiencing, with the closure of the island turning out to be far less strict than it appears at first sight, and mixed messages on what constitutes gatherings.

As Lanzarote registers its first Covid deaths since September, recent increases in the amount of Covid cases on Lanzarote have increased the number of patients hospitalised by the virus tenfold in the last few weeks.

There is now very little doubt that the third wave on Lanzarote is almost entirely due to Christmas parties. The Mayor of Tías, Juan José Cruz, criticised the “irresponsibility” of local families who had been holding parties of 40 or 50 people over the holidays.