The Government of the Canary Islands, after the Governing Council approved the proposal of the Ministry of Health last Thursday, will enable the use of antigen tests for the health control of international travelers upon arrival in the Archipelago, through a decree of the president, Ángel Víctor Torres, which will enter into force this Tuesday, after its publication in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands.
This measure has been adopted after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations with the central Government, asking it to also accept antigen tests - cheaper than PCRs - as a valid test for tourists arriving from abroad, as the archipelago had already been doing before the State established that requirement.
"This decree is based on the powers derived from the State of Alarm -whose delegated competent authority is the regional president-; on the condition of Outermost Region (OR) that the Canary Islands has within the European Union; the Statute of Autonomy; the indications of the Public Health and Microbiology technicians; and the experience accumulated with the tourist decree law that establishes the obligation to present a certificate of antigen or PCR test with a negative result in the regulated accommodation establishments of the Canary Islands", they defend from the regional Executive.
"For access to the archipelago from abroad, PCR (RT-PCR) and rapid antigen detection tests are accepted as diagnostic tests for active SARS-COV-2 infection in accordance with their corresponding approval. The decree, which establishes the perimeter closure of the Autonomous Community, does not prevent travelers from accessing it, but regulates a safe entry with systems that are accessible and affordable", they add in a statement.
In addition, they maintain that "the pioneering system promoted by the Government of the Canary Islands has proven to be reliable, since during the last five weeks, in which around 250,000 travelers have arrived in the Islands, with very few cases of tourists who tested positive."
In any case, the Government of the Canary Islands affirms that "it maintains negotiations within the framework of understanding open with the Ministry of Health to harmonize the regional regulations with the national ones", which is what is intended to be avoided with this decree.
In addition, they have pointed out that this Monday "progress continues to be made in the regulations that will establish controls for national travelers -in agreement with the Government of the Balearic Islands,- as well as for Canarian residents in peninsular territory who plan to return to the Canary Islands, especially during the Christmas season."
