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The Governing Council of the Andalucian government has met to ratify and give legal certainty to all those measures approved in previous days as a consequence of the health alert caused by the coronavirus, as well as launching a series of recommendations to the entire population that resides in Andalusia to try to stop the possible spread of the disease. Subsequently, the Executive Committee for the Control, Evaluation and Follow-up of Special Situations has met, which has also issued various recommendations.
The Andalucian Vice President and Minister of Tourism, Regeneration, Justice and Local Administration, Juan Marín, has released the agreements and recommendations, although he first sent a message of confidence to the Andalucians.
“We are going to be up to the task, as we have been since this crisis began. For this reason we are going to be responsible and approve the measures that we consider necessary at this time,” he assured.
“We are not going to wait 24 hours as the central government has done, we are going to approve actions from today, since the situation requires quick decisions,” stressed Marín.
That is why the Andalucian Government recommends that citizens stay in their homes as much as possible. The Executive Committee for Special Situations has insisted on avoiding, in particular, going to commercial, leisure, restaurants, bars, gyms, cafes and discotheques, as well as cinemas, theatres or similar places. Therefore, the suspension of activity and closure to the public of all commercial and leisure establishments is recommended.
Food stores, pharmacies and fuel service stations are excepted from these recommendations of the Executive Committee of Special Situations.
“It is everyone’s responsibility and it is essential that each one of us respect the rules in order to get out of this situation as soon as possible,” Marín insisted.
The Vice President of the Andalucian Government reminded that, starting Monday, March 16, educational centres at all levels will not be open.
All theatres, museums and other recreational spaces belonging to the Junta de Andalucía (libraries, archives, documentation centres, scenic spaces, cultural complexes and archaeological and monumental sites) are already closed.
The Andalucian Government is studying the elaboration of an order for the confinement of all those municipalities where the authority recommends it based on the growth in the number of positive cases. The confinement measures restrict the freedom of movement of people, allowing displacement exclusively for work, medical-assistance reasons and the acquisition of basic necessities, health and pharmaceutical products.
The extraordinary Governing Council has approved the following measures:
- Suspension of the activity to the public of the Leisure Time Residences of the Junta de Andalucía.
- Closure of sports facilities attached to the Ministry of Education and Sports and recommendation to sports federations and clubs on the suspension of all sports events, activities and competitions.
- Suspension of the opening to the public in this 2019-2020 ski season of the Sierra Nevada Ski Resort.
- Communication, request and advice to the Andalucian sports fabric, of the most rigorous compliance with the guidelines and measures adopted by the health authorities.
- Closure of the public use equipment of the Andalucian Natural Spaces network.
- Closure of the Botanical Gardens network, as well as temporary suspension of all visits to the Threat Species Recovery centres (CREA) and Marine Threat Species Centres (CEGMA).
- Suspension of visits to the Forest Defence Centres.
- No authorisation of activities in protected spaces that involve group participation.
- Suspension of face-to-face training activities taught by the Andalucian Institute for Research and Training in Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and Ecological Production.
- Daily disinfection of buses and ferries; and passenger transport services for special use and discretionary services with vehicles with more than nine seats; from bus stations and maritime terminals and placement of hydro-alcohol dispensers.
- Recommendation to VTC and taxi operators of protection measures and prioritise payment by cards and telematic means whenever possible.
- Disinfection in rail transport services.
- Suspension of the activity and the opening to the public of festivals, exhibitions and cultural programs.
- Suspension of the activity of the Active Participation Centers.
- In residential centres for the elderly, people with disabilities, supervised minors, people with dependency and therapeutic communities, visits are suspended, residents are restricted from leaving and new intake is suspended.
- Suspension of home visits by social worker personnel, evaluations and individual care programs, as well as home visits and assessment and counselling centres.
- Suspension of the actions of installing devices in the homes of users.
- Suspension of access for volunteer staff and trainees at the headquarters of the councils.
- Creation of a special monitoring commission with union organizations.
- Activation of essential Justice services.
The Minister of Health and Families, Jesús Aguirre, has also listed the specific measures that his department will promote. He has reiterated that the Andalucian Government will increase the staff of the SAS public health system as required.
In addition, the permits and vacations of all the personnel of the Ministry are suspended depending on the healthcare needs that arise.
“The fight against the coronavirus is in our hands, taking care of ourselves and taking care of our elders. We have to protect them. Staying at home is not an option, it is an obligation. We have to isolate ourselves,” he said.
Aguirre has reported the creation of a coordination unit with private health services, so that the Ministry of Health assumes sole command of all Andalusian health and can count on all its resources to combat this exceptional situation.
Aguirre has also reported on specific actions such as:
- Starting of contingency plans for all provinces by the Andalucian Health Service
- Accelerate the implementation of telemedicine for the different specialties that can support this practice, with a view to reducing high attendance.
- Instructions to enhance the activity of ambulatory surgery in order to meet possible increases in demand in hospitalisation requirements.
- In relation to the patients who are attended in accident and emergency departments, primary care centres, as well as in hospitalised patients, only one person will be authorised for each patient.
- The activity of volunteer personnel in health centers is suspended.
- The international cooperation activity of professionals in the Andalucian public health system is suspended.
- Blood transfusion centres will continue to carry out their activities, although they will have to comply with health recommendations. In this case, the competent public administrations will authorise the activity.
