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 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.

Last year, when lockdown rules prevented us from distributing the magazine, Gazette Life went exclusively online for three months. In the first of those digital issues, we ran a piece about a visit to one of the most popular sporting events on the island - the Bola Canaria Torneo de Abuelos Conejeros (The Lanzarote Grandparents' Canarian Bowls Tournament).

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

The PSOE, which is the majority governing party in Spain and the Canaries, has demanded the immediate resignation of Susana Machín, the Health Councillor for La Palma’s Cabildo, and two other councillors after they were discovered to have received Covid vaccines before their allotted turn.

An old man stands outside Tías Health Centre, clearly furious as he demands to know when he’ll get his Covid vaccine. “I feel neglected” he tells the attendant, loudly but politely “It’s like a fourth-world country.” Later, he explains he’s 73 years old, with diabetes, heart trouble and other conditions, and is tired of the promises of the Canarian Government.

Lanzarote will remain in level 4 measures for at least the next seven days, after the Canarian Government decided that the situation had not yet improved enough to warrant a lower level.

Much of the island has already seen light rainfall this morning, but it's likely to get heavier and colder, as a polar depression from the north-west settles over the Canaries.

A doctors’ association has criticised Pedro Sánchez’s decision to replace Spain's Health Minister, Salvador Illa, at the height of Spain’s coronavirus pandemic so that he can lead the Socialist party in the forthcoming regional elections in Catalonia on February 14th.