Laurence Dollimore
MALAGA and Granada must be allowed to move into Phase 1 of the COVID-19 de-escalation plan on Monday.
That is the verdict of Andalucia’s health minister Jesus Aguirre, who said in a press conference today that the two province’s meet the requirements and that updated data has been sent to Madrid.
Aguirre added that he sees no reason why the two zones cannot also advance into Phase 2 on May 25, alongside the other six Andalucian provinces, assuming the numbers continue to improve or stabilise.
“We have sent the health ministry in Madrid more evidence with the utmost urgency and transparency,” said Aguirre, before noting that in the past seven days, Malaga’s incidence of COVID-19 infections confirmed by PCR is just 0.7 per 100,000 inhabitants (in Granada it is 0.8).
Madrid has yet to release the requirements to enter Phase 2 but Aguirre vowed to push to have the whole region enter it on the same date (May 25).
It would mean that Malaga and Granada stay in Phase 1 for just one week.
The two provinces will be informed of whether or not they can enter Phase 1 this Friday.
Meanwhile, Aguirre said Andalucia has the capacity to double its testing capabilities and added that 74.3% of health workers who caught COVID-19 have already recovered and are back at work.
It comes after it was revealed the southernmost region had accumulated 3,622 infected medical workers, 7.5% of the national total.
