- Health seeks to prevent clusters from forming that pose a risk of spreading the coronavirus.
Fifty municipalities in the Province of Alicante have been told that they must be extremely vigilant to prevent clusters from forming at alternative events that may be held by the public. The instruction was made by the Ministry of Health, which wants to prevent, at all costs, the generation of any situations that risk the spread of the coronavirus.
The Ministry of Health has approached municipalities requesting their assistance insisting that they closely observe family reunions, meetings or other events that take place in their towns. Of particular concern are the alternative events or meetings that may take place in as an alternative to their August festivals, an especially prolific period in this regard.
Family and social gatherings have become a headache for Health. As the minister, Ana Barceló , has said, in the last 2 weeks the cases related to such meetings have multiplied, and now account for 47.9% of all outbreaks, with 15.5% originating from nightlife and 15.5% deriving from the work environment.
According to the most recent statistics, 54.4% of all new cases are in the age range between 15 and 34 years, which has Health say has generated an additional concern. “I want to call for caution and prudence, especially amongst the young population, since it is that sector of the population that has become the main spreader of new cases,” she said.
Health say they are particularly concerned with those events where the participation is expected to exceed a 50 people. In the event that 150 people is exceeded, municipal authorisation will also be required, which will be based on the epidemiological situation at the time.
At all events, whatever the numbers attending, in both outdoor and enclosed areas, the restriction must be applied with a capacity limit of 75 percent, with the interpersonal safety distance of one and a half meters applied.
The use of a mask will be mandatory at all times and the organisation must also provide attendees with hydroalcoholic disinfectant gels.
In the province of Alicante, there are fifty municipalities that should have celebrated fiestas during the month of August, all of which have been suspended due to the pandemic. Among them are Elche, Cocentaina, Xixona, Dénia, Callosa de Segura, Castalla, l’Albir, and many others.
In the case of Elche, they have already introduced special security measures to prevent gatherings from occurring on August 13, 14 and 15, when the festivities should have been celebrated. This was announced by the mayor of Elche, Carlos González, who explained that on August 12 a local security meeting is scheduled to be held by the Elche City Council, which will be attended by representatives of the Government Subdelegation and the bodies and security forces to introduce measures that will “ensure that there are no concentrations” during the following days.
The mayor said that “there is a general recommendation to avoid crowds of revellers, family, friends and young people. We must not lower our guard since the transmission of the coronavirus virus especially prevalent in the social and family domains. We will launch procedures to prevent them from being carried out.
In Callosa de Segura, the Council has decided to celebrate the traditional Rise of the Farolico in honour of those who died from the coronavirus but in a very intimate way, as there will be no-one allowed to watch from the side of the streets.
La Nucía, Finestrat and l’Alfàs del Pi have also suspended their festivities scheduled for the month of August. In these municipalities, the town councils plan to monitor compliance with the regulations and that there are no gatherings of people. In addition, the Local Police will ensure that all the safety and health measures imposed are complied with. In the case of Finestrat, they add that patrols will be reinforced during those days.
