Laurence Dollimore
THE Junta de Andalucia has insisted that COVID-19 is ‘under control’ despite the increase in outbreaks since the end of the state of alarm.
Regional interior minister Elias Bendodo said during a visit to Benahavis today that the surge in cases is due to the increase in mobility of the population and that ‘these are occurring throughout the world as well as in Andalucia, but they are under control.’
The spokesman for the Junta said the very low impact on hospitals is a key sign that the situation is being managed successfully.
Bendodo said there are currently 97 people in hospital, 16 of whom are in ICUs, a ‘far cry from the almost 3,000 admissions in March’.
He said: “That is a positive figure and a reason for hope, but it doesn’t mean we can relax or stop being responsible each and every day.”
He added that people must keep up with social distancing and continue washing hands and wearing masks at all possible times.
Younger people were also encouraged to be more responsible following a spate of hospitalisations among younger age groups.
“70% of hospital admissions right now are for people between the ages of 20 and 50,” said Bendodo.
He added that the region is much more equipped to battle the virus than in spring.
“We’ve had for a while now 8,200 trackers and 450 epidemiologists working to control new outbreaks,” he said.
“The Junta has been training 1,000 more professionals for the past few months to become trackers and we are also helping other regions with tracking training.”
