Alex Trelinski
ALL hospitality businesses will fall under compulsory COVID-19 passport rules in the Valencian Community.
Valencian president, Ximo Puig, announced the extension this Monday.
Only businesses with a capacity for 50 or more people had to enforce passports when the measure started on December 4.
Every indoor venue selling food and drink will also be affected for the first time including cinemas, theatres, banqueting rooms, gyms, and sports centres.
Passports will continue to be used for people visiting hospital patients or care home residents.
The ramping-up in passport areas comes as new coronavirus cases climb in the region, spurred on by the Omicron variant.
The new restrictions will be submitted for approval to the Valencian Superior Court(TSJ).
Puig has requested that it runs until January 31.
The passport extension will start once the TSJ has backed the submission and it has been published in the Valencian Official Gazette.
Ximo Puig said: “This Christmas cannot be the way we would like it to be. We have to be prudent as we know that infections occur in closed spaces.”
He appealed for people to use masks and for venues to have good ventilation.
The passport expansion had been telegraphed by Puig last week.
He has held back from more drastic restrictions on hospitality capacity and opening hours, at least for the time being.
No measures have been announced on family gatherings over the holiday period despite Puig stating that ‘we are not for parties and it is not convenient to hold large family gatherings’.
Health Minister, Ana Barcelo, recommended this Monday that ‘no more than two families’ get together over the festive season.
Puig along with Spain’s 16 other regional leaders will have a conference call with Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, this Wednesday to discuss the COVID situation.
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