The Health & Consumer Affairs Minister Patricia Gómez, has called for caution at Christmas and advised people to “limit travel from the Islands to the Peninsula as much as possible.”
Speaking after the Inter-territorial Council of the National Health System or CISNS, Minister Gomez called for responsibility and accountability in light of the recent increase in coronavirus cases.
"It's not about celebrating Christmas it's about staying alive,” she said.
Trips to the Balearic Islands are allowed for the time being, but from December 20 all travellers must present a negative PCR test. Residents will be able to take a PCR test for free.
"Almost every Autonomous Community has a perimeter lockdown, but if the reason for travel is justified, and being a resident is justified cause, they can come," said Minister Gomez.
She also pointed out that the effects of the Constitution Day holiday weekend on contagion has not been assessed yet.
"Today we probably already have related cases, but in the coming days we will certainly see an increase," she said. "If we want to protect others, we must accept that this Christmas should be the same as any other day on the calendar, because it will be difficult to celebrate even in groups of six people."
On Wednesday more than 400 new coronavirus cases were confirmed in the Balearic Islands.
"If we reach 500 we’ll have to rethink the health measures," she warned, but acknowledged that better protocols, better tracking and better drugs are helping to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic, but said “it's necessary to exercise the utmost caution."
Minister Gómez revealed that the European Medicines Agency report on the Pfizer vaccine is being brought forward to 21 December, which means that the vaccination process will also be brought forward.
1 comment
To be able to write a comment, you have to be registered and logged in
PCR tests for travelers coming to Mallorca should have been in place a long time ago...tests for people on the island cost between 100 and 130...it is either free (France, Germany...) or a lot less elsewhere (30 euros in Turkey, 25 in Egypt...). Why are we being ripped off, why insurance does not reimburse for voluntary PCR testing. Such a shame.