The Government Council of the Canary Islands, meeting in an extraordinary session this Tuesday, December 28, has agreed to ask the Superior Court of Justice of the Canary Islands to ratify the Order of the Minister of Health by which night mobility of people is restricted on January 1, 2 and 6, 2022 on those islands that are at alert levels 2, 3 and 4, as an exceptional measure to contain infections by COVID-19.
In this way, as announced at the subsequent press conference by the Minister of Health, Blas Trujillo, travel and circulation on public roads would be prohibited on January 1, 2 and 6, 2022, that is, the nights of December 31 to January 1, from January 1 to 2 and from January 5 to 6, between 01:00 and 06:00 hours on the islands that are at alert levels 3 and 4 and between 02:00 and 06:00 hours on the islands at alert level 2.
Exclusions
Acquisition of medicines and health products in pharmacies, provided that it is the closest to home.
Assistance to health centers, services and establishments.
Assistance to veterinary care centers for emergency reasons.
Compliance with labor, professional, business, institutional or legal obligations.
Return to the usual place of residence after carrying out some of the activities provided for in this section, or leaving the establishments or activities that must close at the time established in section 1.
Assistance and care for the elderly, minors, dependents, people with disabilities or especially vulnerable people. This includes travel for the needs of people with behavioral disorders, disabilities or illnesses that require activity outside for their emotional or health well-being, when duly justified by health or social professionals with the corresponding certificate. It also includes the necessary travel for the collection and care of minors in the case of separated or divorced parents or with residence in different places.
Refueling at gas stations or service stations, when necessary to carry out the activities provided for in the previous paragraphs.
Assistance and care of domestic animals or on livestock farms.
Cause of force majeure or other justified situation of need.
Likewise, during the mobility restriction hours, the circulation of vehicles for permitted travel is allowed.
Necessary and proportionate measure
The Minister has recalled that the pronounced growth in incidence registered in the Canary Islands in recent weeks, the uncertainty about the behavior of the Ómicron variant, which is already the majority in the Canary Islands, and the existing pressure on the Primary Care system, which has doubled in recent weeks, as well as on hospital care, which already has 20 percent occupancy of ICU beds due to COVID cases, justify the implementation of this measure.
The epidemiological report of the General Directorate of Public Health on the situation of the pandemic in the Canary Islands on December 27 reflects the upward trend of all health alert indicators.
“It should be noted that the Accumulated Incidence (AI) at 7 days in the Autonomous Community as a whole has gone from 488.89 cases/100,000 inhabitants to 751.21 cases/100,000 inhabitants. Likewise, the AI at 14 days also increases in the Archipelago, going from 659.07 cases/100,000 inhabitants to 1,178.11 cases/100,000 inhabitants. These figures for both indicators are the highest recorded in the entire pandemic”, informed the Minister.
In addition, Public Health indicates that experience has shown that, against this virus and its expansion cycles, any measure that contributes to preventing its spread, reducing contacts between people, or making them safe, is necessary for its containment.
On the other hand, the Minister has recalled that the most affected age group, which includes people between 20 and 39 years old, coincides with the one that has more social contacts, more opportunities to go to nightlife in closed spaces and the one that has a lower percentage of vaccination.
“This measure is adopted after the gradual implementation of other actions to contain the transmission of the coronavirus. In addition, it is activated only for two key dates of the Christmas holidays, characterized by the agglomeration of people with a high-risk profile of transmissibility and propagation”, explained Trujillo.
He has also indicated that the limitation of mobility is limited to the islands at high or very high risk level (levels 3 and 4), as well as those that are at medium risk level (level 2), given that the current growth in transmission suggests that they will soon rise in level, so it is intended not to accelerate that progression.
“With the limitation of night mobility, the aim is to reduce social interactions that occur at night, given that these are the most frequented by the age groups with the highest incidence of the disease and the lowest vaccination rate and in environments where preventive measures against the coronavirus are not always met”, explained the Minister.
This restriction of night mobility in the epidemiological context in which the Archipelago is located is a necessary and adequate measure to contribute to the control of the transmission of COVID-19, since it helps to avoid situations of risk contact.
