Galicia expects to extend the hours of the hospitality industry in the coming days | Radio Vigo

The first vice president of the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, confirmed this Sunday the “favorable” epidemiological situation in Galicia, so he sees it as “reasonable” that the clinical committee -which meets on Tuesday- can extend beyond 6:00 p.m. the closing hours of the hotel business.

The also Minister of the Presidency, Xustiza e Turismo has endorsed the words of President Alberto Núñez Feijóo and has said that “hopefully” the week that begins this March 15 can advance in the de-escalation. In this sense, although he has advocated waiting for what the clinical committee determines on Tuesday, Rueda considers “logical” be able to take “short” but “prudent” steps. Precisely, this Monday the vice president will meet again with the hospitality sector to address this issue.

“The fact is that the advance is never to go back. We will see what is decided on Tuesday, but I think that it could be progress, without being much less a normal operation, “he stressed.

One year after the declaration of the health emergency by the Xunta and the state of alarm by the central government, Rueda celebrates that “things are starting to get on track” regarding the health situation. Of course, it warns that the economic consequences will be “very hard.”

Against this background, the first vice president of the Galician Executive has advocated for “learn from mistakes” and he has rejected triumphalism such as – according to the example he has set – that manifested by Pedro Sánchez at the end of the first wave: “We have defeated the virus.”

In addition, Alfonso Rueda has insisted on requesting a new Conference of Presidents to address the lifting of the state of alarm currently in force, scheduled until May 9. It would be a meeting, he explained, “to assess whether or not it gets up and, if it gets up, under what sanitary and economic conditions.”

In this context, he has taken the opportunity to criticize that, while in the first wave of the pandemic the state of alarm gave the central government a single command, now it opted for “the opposite”, which is to “ignore” the management of the covid.

Hostelry
After the demonstration carried out on Saturday afternoon by hundreds of hoteliers in Santiago de Compostela, Rueda said that “of course” they have “all the right in the world” to protest for being “a very punished group” by the restrictions.

Next, it has guaranteed that the Xunta is “aware” of the damages caused to the sector and has claimed that “from the beginning” it tried to arbitrate direct aid in two “bailouts” that add up to 160 million euros.

With respect to the second and most recent, Rueda has given the information that there are already “more than 5 million euros paid” despite the fact that the deadline for requesting subsidies “is not over yet.” So far, 40,000 applications have been received and there are already “more than 1,000 grants” granted, which is why he has highlighted the “great agility” with which they are processed.

Direct government aid
Also, this week the central government announced the articulation of a package of direct aid to the self-employed and companies for 7,000 million euros. Precisely, this Saturday the economic vice president of the Xunta, Francisco Conde, criticized that Galicia will receive 220 million, about 110 million less than “what would correspond.”

Along these lines, Alfonso Rueda has said he hopes that this amount will be increased and has taken the opportunity to censor that “a month” had passed since Sánchez announced this line of direct aid until it was launched.

Regarding the distribution, he regretted that neither Galicia nor “almost all the autonomous communities” “understood” it, since 2,000 of the 7,000 million are for the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands. Rueda sees it as “respectable”, but reproaches that the Galician Community “had to reach 110 million euros more.” “We are not going to allow it,” he warned.

In the same way, the vice president of the Xunta has criticized that now it is necessary to wait “around 40 days” for this fund to be transferred, which, in fact, will be administered by the autonomies.

“We said that we did not care whether the Government or the communities distributed it, but we wanted it to be distributed as soon as possible and now we see that it will take 40 days,” he continued, to then promise that, if the State gives “freedom” to the processing, this “is going to be agile.”

Tourist voucher
Rueda has also advanced that between “the end of March” and “the beginning of April” at the latest, the call for the second program of the tourist voucher “#QuegamosEnGalicia” will be opened, approved this week by the Council of the Xunta. This voucher will subsidize 60% of the drinks and stays in hotel establishments, while customers will have to contribute the remaining 40%.

This line, activated after a first call for health and social health personnel, will have a “very simple procedure”, as guaranteed by the head of the Xunta’s Tourism area, who is now in full dialogue with the sector to make them “thousands” of establishments that join the initiative.

There will be three different vouchers -in all cases, the Autonomous Administration contributes 60% of the cost- and it will consist of a card that will be purchased at a bank branch. “It will be very successful and I am convinced that it is very necessary at this time when mobility is starting again,” said Rueda.

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