- Ximo Puig is consulting with coronavirus experts saying that he does not rule out more restrictions in the face of increased pressure for confinement
- The Valencian Community is at the peak of the pandemic, with another record number of deaths, infections and hospitalisations due to coronavirus
Government coalition partners, Compromís continue to ask Ximo Puig for greater restrictions but despite and increasing number of Valencian mayors, regardless of political persuasion, urging their neighbours to close their borders and demanding more measures from the regional executive, the president has again rejected home confinement this Thursday.
Of course, the president has slightly modified his approach saying that “there should be a change in regulations” to allow Autonomous Communities to introduce confinement should they so decide as currently the decision can only be made by central government.
“Neither,” he says, “can night closing be brought forward because we have it at the earliest time that is possible, 22:00”, despite a Compromís’ request to bring it forward to 20:00.
On Tuesday the President said that there was still “room for additional action” before the need for total confinement, however the critical situation that the Valencian Community is experiencing has led the president to meet on Thursday, by videoconference, with experts to address the current situation.
However Puig also insists that more restrictions are not ruled out : “We will take the measures with the general interest in mind and in a calm manner”.
While Ximo Puig was making his statements, Mónica Oltra, Vice President and Minister of Equality spoke of the “uncontrolled community contagion” that the Valencian Community is experiencing that is leading many mayors and communities, from all parties, to ask for more restrictions.
But it could be that home confinement becomes an “inevitable” weapon to end the third wave as the autonomous communities are increasingly left without weapons or safeguards against the coronavirus.
After making the most of all the restrictions allowed by the Government in the decree of state of alarm, which is approved until May 9, regions such as Castilla y León, Asturias, Andalusia and Murcia are asking to go one step further so that they can have the legal possibility of approving confinement within their own community and thus cut the transmission.
La Rioja has also joined them, recommending that the population self-confine. The lack of protection that the regions say they feel is such that Pablo Casado, leader of the Popular Party, denounced yesterday the fact that the Prime Minister “does nothing” and simply “abandons the autonomies to their own fate”.
