Covid passport to be scrapped

Covid passport to be scrapped. | Majorca Daily Bulletin reporter

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma10/02/2022 10:53
TW
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Following Thursday's meeting between government, island council, employers and union representatives (the social dialogue table), health minister Patricia Gómez confirmed that the Covid passport will cease to be a requirement as from Saturday. This means it will not have to be presented in order to enter bars, restaurants, clubs, cinemas and certain other establishments. It will also not be necessary for visitors to care homes, although workers in care homes and in the health sector will still need to have proof of double vaccination. If they do not have this, they have to be tested three times a week.

Gómez said that agreement was reached on withdrawing the Covid passport requirement due to the improvement of the epidemiological situation, both in terms of incidence and the situation in the hospitals. This improvement has meant that Mallorca and Minorca drop to health alert level 3, even if Ibiza and Formentera remain at level 4.

She highlighted the decrease in the 14-day cumulative incidence. Since the start of February, this has gone from 2955 to 1514 (Thursday's figure). Also since February 1, the number of Covid patients on wards has fallen from 404 to 335 and in ICUs from 89 to 65.

The minister referred to the progress made in respect of vaccination. Since December 1, some 55,000 people have had a first dose, and the passport requirement has contributed to this. "The certificate has been useful in recent months in containing and lessening the impact of the sixth wave, both in hospitals and in the economy." Now that it is to be withdrawn, Gómez stressed that the public will continue to be encouraged to be vaccinated, especially with the tourism season coming up.

The 84 per cent of the target population to have been fully vaccinated is "a good percentage", although there are groups such as children or people between 20 and 40 with somewhat lower percentages. "We are not giving up on the entire population being vaccinated, because people are continuing to die."