Canarian president Ángel Víctor Torres announced on Thursday night that gatherings of more than 10 people will to be prohibited on Lanzarote and Gran Canaria for the next two weeks. The law will be effective from today, and includes several other measures to combat the outbreaks on the worst-affected islands.
Torres stressed that the Governments’ decision to do this was not an easy one but was necessary on islands with more than 100 + cases per 100,000 residents over the last seven days. He made it clear that the new restrictions will have little effect if not taken seriously.
The updated law also changes the 1 am closing time for restaurants to midnight and states that masks must be worn within the workplace.
Torres added that he will contact the Ministry of Defence to request the support of 100 military personnel trained in virus tracking to further increase monitoring. Gran Canaria, which currently has a rate of 158 cases per 100,000 people, will be the Island receiving most of the attention.
Lanzarote currently has a rate of 103.7 per 100,000 over the last seven days, and a record daily total of 69 new cases were reported on Thursday. Consequently, Cabildo President Maria Dolores Corujo has announced the immediate closure of all sporting and cultural installations and children’s playgrounds, as well as the closure of beaches “which do not fulfill safety measures”.
The return to schools
Meetings are yet to be held regarding the school year. Torres announced that he will hold a conference with Spanish President Pedro Sánchez to discuss the safest course of action. Further meetings will be held with the Councillor of the Educational Community. However, Torres explained “Everything will depend on the state of the pandemic”.
