President Francina Armengol has assured today in Parliament that it is not necessary that 70% of the Balearic population have to be immunized in order to reactivate tourism. It is a slight qualification of the appearance that Armengol made in Parliament on January 26 on the pandemic. Then, the president spoke of the possibility of group immunization in 3 months if there were doses of vaccines against the coronavirus, and the importance of this immunity for a tourist population like the Balearic Islands. Almost three months have passed, with two weeks to go. And we did not reach 6% of the vaccinated population.
So 3 months later, President Armengol no longer speaks of 70% of the population immunized before the summer. It must be remembered that Pedro Sánchez gives that percentage during the summer … but the opposition does not forget it.
Both the Popular Party and the PI demand that Armengol assert himself against Madrid and tell the president that the Balearic Islands cannot wait to have 70% of the population immunized after the summer and they want to know if there is a plan B if the possibility of buying vaccines outside the parameters of the European Union. They emphasize that the data from tour operators such as TUI or Jet 2 is not encouraging. They claim that if there is not enough vaccinated population on the islands, tourists will go to other places with better data.
Biel Company, of the Popular Party, remarks that countries such as Italy or Greece have advanced their vaccination and transformed their insularity into fortresses to control the virus. He says that society cannot endure more restrictions and curfews, that what they are asking for are vaccines.
Armengol hides himself in the fact that mobility is not only linked to the vaccination of the recipient country, but also the issuing markets, accumulated incidence or diagnostic tests.
The maintenance of the restrictive measures, says Armengol, allows to keep the sanitary situation under control, which will make it possible to have a tourist season. And it insists that they will be maintained for as long as it takes to continue avoiding deaths and infections.
Restrictions that, however, as of May 9, may remain lame without the protection of a state of alarm from the central government if it is not finally extended. The spokesperson for Ciudadanos, Patricia Guasp, has asked for details on the options when she gets up.
Armengol recalled that, as happened last summer, under the Public Health Law, the regional executive can approve meeting and schedule restrictions in commercial establishments. It does not clarify whether it is favorable to maintaining the curfew but insists that the community’s Advocacy study the viability of the Government adopting this measure without the coverage of a state decree. He points out that his wish is not to adopt any more limitation measures, but the communities must have room for maneuver and the legal tools to establish restrictions.
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