The mayor of Tías, José Juan Cruz, has attributed the situation in the municipality, with one of the highest Covid incidences in the Canary Islands, to the "relaxation" of many people in complying with the established rules. Thus, he believes that the problem is not that these rules were insufficient, but that in many cases they have not been complied with.
"The sad thing about all this is that we know that there were not ten people at the Christmas celebrations. In the end, this is a small town, a big hell, and everyone finds out about everything. And because of the positives and the follow-up of their close contacts, we are talking about private parties of 30, 35 and 40 people. That is the sad, serious and irresponsible thing," he warned.
In this regard, he stressed that almost all infections in the municipality have occurred within the family environment, and with a large number of close contacts linked to each outbreak, many of whom are still being monitored and awaiting testing.
"What happens is that we don't have a doctor or a policeman for everyone. And we can control the public road, an establishment open to the public... There an inspection is made, it is checked and on the spot a record is made if there is a breach. That has been done, is being done and will continue to be done. But the problem is in family environments. What happens inside a home can hardly be controlled by the police, unless there is a complaint," he insisted.
Therefore, although at the same time he defends that "in general the behavior of the people has been exemplary", he believes that with the passage of time "we have been relaxing and in the end what has happened has happened".
"It is not that we intend from the administration to instill fear in the population, but our obligation is to inform about reality. And the reality is that this is a disease that came to stay and can kill," the mayor recalled.
Regarding the cases detected in Tías - which this Wednesday already amount to 63 in the last week alone, with a cumulative incidence of 312.35 cases per 100,000 inhabitants in 7 days and 510.66 in 14 days - Cruz pointed out that "there are affected in general throughout the municipality, but the most affected area is La Asomada".
"I have information that there are entire families affected in the municipality. The infections are located in specific families with a lot of cases," he said. In addition, most of these cases are occurring in people over 65 years of age, which makes the situation even more serious, since it is the population at risk.
Regarding possible imported cases, given that Tías is home to one of the main tourist resorts on the island, the mayor has ruled out that it has had an influence. "I am not aware of any infections through tourists, because they do not usually mix much with local people, and the cases are occurring in the family environment," he reiterated.
"Now it's time to close again until we see how this evolves," he said in reference to the measures agreed this Tuesday between the Cabildo and all the municipalities, to suspend all their leisure, cultural and sports activities and to close facilities for public use.
"We are in the first week and this will have an effect in the following weeks," the mayor warned, pointing to all the close contacts of each positive who are now awaiting tests, and which will lead to new cases in the coming days.
