John Culatto
THE long-awaited end of the lockdown on February 1 will not apply to the elderly, the government has announced.
Over 70s will not be able to leave the house for another two weeks other than for essentials enforced by law.
The only reasons over 70s will be able to leave the home are for medical appointments, work, shopping for essentials or an hour of exercise, with Golden Hour to be reintroduced.
Authorities on the Rock believe this will allow at-risk people to reach their highest level of immunity 21 days after their second dose of the vaccine.
The news comes as three more elderly people lost their lives to COVID-19 pneumonia in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 73.
There will still be a 10pm to 6am curfew everyday for the whole population, which will also be enforced by law.
Non-essential shops, gyms and beauty salons will be allowed to re-open but only on weekdays.
No more than two households will be allowed to gather, with eight being the maximum amount of people allowed in one place together.
These restrictions will be reviewed every week, with bars, cafes and restaurants staying closed until March 1.
Decrease
There were 14 new COVID-19 cases out of a total of over 1,200 tests yesterday, with total active cases down to 369.
There are eight patients in Critical Care all being ventilated, some which are getting worse by the day.
There are 19 people in the two other wards at the hospital, with 29 infected at nursery homes, only three who are getting worse.
An inquiry will be launched after the pandemic on how the outbreak at Elderly Residential Services homes occurred.
With the decrease in active cases, the state of alert has gone from black to red at the Gibraltar Health Authority.
There have now been 12,860 people who have been vaccinated with the first dose against the coronavirus.
With the next delivery of the Pfizer vaccine, the second dose will be given to the at-risk categories of persons along with the first dose to under-60s.
Those who have already got their first dose must get their second within a three-week period.
Despite the relaxation of the lockdown, people are being asked to stay at home as much as possible to prevent a rise of infections.
“As we say goodbye to January we will leave behind the coldest, cruellest and deadliest month in the past 100 years of our history as a people,” said Chief Minister Fabian Picardo in his weekly address.
“When we are able to gather and congregate, we owe it to our dead to mourn them collectively as a people.
“We will do so in a way that enables us all to join together in that moment of national mourning.
“I will bring a motion to our Parliament so that we will, I’m sure unanimously, commemorate this loss of life in a permanent monument to COVID-19.”
