The Cabildo of Lanzarote has obtained authorization from the General Directorate of Public Health of the Government of the Canary Islands to hold cultural events with more than 10 people at the CIC EL Almacén and the Víctor Fernández Gopar Theater “El Salinero”.
This authorization has been mandatory since September 11, following the publication in the BOC of the new measures of prevention established by the Government of the Canary Islands to deal with the health crisis caused by COVID-19.
The Culture area of the Island Corporation, directed by Alberto Aguiar, prepared and presented two Contagion Prevention plans, one for the CIC El Almacén and another for the El Salinero Theater, which had to be adapted obligatorily to what is included in the document “Recommendations for events and mass activities in the context of the new normality due to COVID 19 in Spain”.
Now, once the permits have been obtained, Alberto Aguiar himself has announced that face-to-face cultural activities in the two centers dependent on Cultura Lanzarote will resume next Saturday, October 10, “with a concert by Lina and Refree at the Víctor Fernández Gopar Theater “El Salinero. In the coming days we will duly announce the entire program for the coming weeks, both to the media and on our website and on our Social Networks”, said the Councilor for Culture Lanzarote.
Aguiar has clarified that the start of the program is also possible thanks to the improvement of the health situation in Lanzarote, “after having returned to the green light”, and to the agreement reached at the Island Table between the Cabildo of Lanzarote and the City Councils, “which agreed that from Wednesday, October 7, cultural events can be resumed, in addition to leisure and sports events”, concluded Aguiar.
A renewable single permit
The permit granted implies that for “ordinary cultural activities programmed of a public nature”, as is the case of the Cultura Lanzarote program, “it will be possible to have a single authorization that extends to the entire program to be developed in said space”, so the Cabildo will only have to renew the permit monthly.
Similarly, and in the event of a possible outbreak, the regulations establish that “on islands that have at least one municipality that exceeds 100 cases/100,000 inhabitants in the accumulated incidence of diagnosed cases in the last 7 days, events or mass events will not be allowed, understood as those of more than 10 people, except for the celebration of ordinary cultural activity programmed of a public nature defined in the previous point, which is held in accordance with the single authorization indicated therein, without prejudice to the modifications that should be made depending on the epidemiological circumstances”. In other words, the Cabildo will be able to continue developing cultural events in those two spaces even if the island has exceeded 100 infections per 100,000 inhabitants, unless expressly prohibited due to a worsening of the epidemiological situation.
Security and hygiene measures
According to the Culture area of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, practically all security and hygiene measures were already implemented both in the CIC El Almacén and in the Víctor Fernández Gopar Theater “El Salinero”.
These measures are: the mandatory use of masks in all shows, both for events in closed venues and for those held outdoors; the obligation to wash hands with hydroalcoholic gel, both at the entrance and inside the spaces; undergo a temperature control before accessing the venues; and maintain a safety distance of 1.5 meters, both inside and at the time of entry and exit of cultural spaces.
Ticket reservation through the bubble system
Ticket reservations, which will continue to be free for all events, will continue to be made through the so-called “bubble system”, which allows the viewer to choose any location in the stalls and automatically all the seats around the selected ones are blocked in order to maintain the mandatory safety distance of 1.5 meters between people who do not live together.
Limited capacity in the El Salinero Theater and in the CIC El Almacén
Due to the obligation to maintain a safety distance of 1.5 meters, the capacity of the spaces dependent on Cultura Lanzarote will be limited. Due to the variability caused by the “bubble system”, the Víctor Fernández Gopar Theater “El Salinero” will have a maximum capacity of between 165 and 175 seats, of which two will be for People with Reduced Mobility (PRM). Meanwhile, the Cine Buñuel of CIC El Almacén will have a maximum capacity of between 35 and 40 spectators, of which one seat will be reserved for PRM.
