News

Sunday News Roundup

New Sunday weekly roundup! A rundown of everything that has happened during week that you need to know; written in a brief and easy to understand format.

Tracing the virus

Las Palmas province, which consists of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Fuerteventura, currently has the best tracing record of all Spanish provinces. 82.8 % of all new cases of Covid-19 have been successfully traced to identified outbreaks of the virus – a figure high enough to be classed as “minimum risk” level.

Deciding the Levels

The Canarian Government decided to keep Lanzarote in Level 4 on Thursday – the highest of its four levels that dictate curfew times, closing hours, maximum numbers of people in gatherings and other measures. But how is this decision arrived at?

No change from Level 4

No surprise yesterday, as the Canarian Government decided to extend the Level 4 restrictions on Lanzarote for another week, as well as introduce special precautions on all the Canary Islands to prevent gatherings during carnival week.

Carnival risk

After witnessing the clear effect that Christmas and New Year parties had on the amount of Covid cases, Canarian officials are now addressing the next risk: carnival, and are unlikely to lift any of the State of Alarm measures affecting the islands later today.

GuardianCovid launched in Tías

Tías Council has introduced a “GuardianCovid” line where citizens can anonymously report any activities that increase the risk of coronavirus transmission.

A shot in the arm

Vaccination is the great hope of 2021 – the key to kicking Covid-19 out and returning to something approaching the normality we lived in until March 2020. Everything from major national economies to the ability to hug a loved relative depends on getting this right, and the Canaries seem to be off to a good start so far.

Arrecife Local Police investigated

The Ayuntamiento of Arrecife is waiting for an official report from the Chief of Local Police before deciding on the future of two Local Police officers who can be seen punching suspects in a video that rapidly went viral on Sunday.

Virtual carnival

With gatherings currently limited to two people on Lanzarote, it’s no surprise that the carnival parades, which were due to start on 15th February in Arrecife, have all been cancelled. However, the Cabildo’s Casa Amarilla has just launched a virtual exhibition that celebrates some of the most iconic sights of the island’s biggest street party.

Weather Watch February

February 2020 brought the biggest, heaviest calima dust cloud in over 20 years covering the island with dust and sand brought over with the easterly winds.