Alex Trelinski
VALENCIA’S Supreme Court(TSJCV) will decide this week whether the Valencian Community’s midnight curfew can continue past May 24.
Regional president, Ximo Puig, initially wanted the curfew to run until the end of month when he asked for authority from the justices earlier in May.
The judges only granted him an extension of the previous State of Alarm curfew powers for a fortnight.
The previous curfew start time was reduced from 10.00 pm, as proposed by Puig.
It’s anticipated that he will ask the TSJCV for another fortnight of the curfew, most probably maintaining a midnight start.
The Valencia region’s infection rate is only 29 cases per 100,000 people compared to the national average of 160.
It’s even lower in Alicante Province, including the Costa Blanca, where it is just under 25 cases.
Nevertheless, the Valencian Community is one of just three Spanish regions that have kept the curfew.
Last week, the TSJCV rejected a case brought by the far-right Vox party that regional restrictions affected fundamental rights.
The court ruled that the measures were ‘essential’ to reduce the spread of COVID-19.
With infection rates still falling, the TSJCV might reject all notion of a curfew or suggest that its length is reduced.
What Ximo Puig can control are the numbers of people that can meet and hospitality hours.
Bars and restaurants can open until 11.30 pm and Puig has already ruled out a full return to ‘normal’ hours from May 24, despite a fresh round of pleas from hospitality associations.
Ximo Puig said: “Disruptive decisions will not be made over the next few days”.
His fresh bout of caution may be down to the fact that it is too early to see whether the reopening of the regional border on May 9 and increased travel into the region has filtered through into any rising COVID numbers.
