Laurence Dollimore
TOUGHER COVID measures are coming to Andalucia on Friday if figures do not improve, the Junta has warned.
Vice president of the region Juan Marin said certain businesses will be ordered to close, but deciding which sectors will be affected will depend on the epidemiological situation by the end of the week.
“If the pandemic is not contained this week, there will be new measures on Friday,” the regional Ciudadanos leader said during an interview on Canal Sur TV.
He added: “The downward curve will probably not be seen until the first half of February, since the results of the new measures will not be noticeable for up to 14 or 21 days.”
The stricter measures would come into force following a meeting with the so-called committee of experts on Friday.
The Junta VP said home confinement and a stricter curfew are the best solutions to fight the third wave of the virus, which has hit Andalucia hard over the past week.
Monday’s figures showed there were 908 hospitalisations in just seven days, while the 14-day cumulative incidence rate had more than doubled over the same period.
The region has asked the central Government for powers to implement full lockdowns and 8pm curfews, but they have so far not been granted.
Marin branded Castilla y Leon ‘courageous’ for pushing ahead with an 8pm curfew, despite it being forbidden by Madrid, but said Andalucia would ‘stay within its legal limits.’
