The president of the Cabildo, Pedro Martin, announced it yesterday: the Cabildo suspends the Tenerife Children’s and Youth Park (PIT) for the second consecutive year. I had a slight thread of hope but the truth is that there is no time left to start the logistics of an event of these characteristics. This means that the PIT will not take place. In addition, Martín advises citizens to hold the meetings typical of these Christmas dates in bars and restaurants where the certificate of the Covid-19. Finally, it asks the Government of the Canary Islands to apply common criteria in all the island’s municipalities to control the pandemic, “either in Buenavista or in Santa Cruz.”
Reasons for suspension.
Martín, in addition to regretting it, has explained the reasons for the suspension of the PIT. First of all, the fact of being held in an enclosed area attended by thousands of people. In addition, it is mostly children «the population that is not massively vaccinated, difficult to control due to their need for socialization and the one that is most contagious, according to data from recent weeks, and in turn infects, even as asymptomatic or slightly, “says the president. In short, a risk that, he values, “we must avoid as public officials from the administration.”
The insular president has insisted that “It has been waited until the last minute to see if it was possible to celebrate it, but it has not been like that.” The epidemiological conditions of the Island that the Cabildo have analyzed during a meeting with the mayors and representatives of the Ministry of Health of the Island contribute to this. Canary Islands Government.
Common criteria.
Within this forum, Pedro Martín has proposed to the Government of the Canary Islands to establish common criteria in all municipalities to control the pandemic and that they can be adjusted according to their evolution before the arrival of the Christmas holidays. This was explained in the meeting with the municipalities, the general director of Public Health, José Juan Alemán, and the manager of Primary Care of Tenerife, José Miguel Rodríguez. Martín is “concerned” about the current evolution of Covid-19 and the possibility that Tenerife could go up to level 2 of health alert. He acknowledges that the regional Executive is facing “a bummer” due to “the uncertainty and continuous changes derived from the pandemic.” In this sense, it understands that it acts “with great care because the margin of maneuver is limited to avoid that certain decisions end up being challenged or rejected by the courts.” Discard the word prohibit with respect to the classic meetings around this time of families and friends, or business lunches “that are recovered.” But he does consider that “recommendations should be established for these dates.” He insists that “we are very concerned, because if we are not cautious, the number of cases could skyrocket in a very short time.” The president understands that the fact of applying the same measures throughout the island “would avoid generating confusion and that some people move to other municipalities where they believe they can have greater freedom of action. The problem is no longer whether they reside in one place or another, but where they leave you more room to be with other people. Apart from this measure, the island president was in favor of establishing some type of capacity.
“We understand that there must be the same criteria in Santa Cruz or Buenavista”
Finally, it recommends that citizens go to those places – bars or restaurants – where the Covid certificate is requested to try to facilitate some control of the pandemic. “I think that at this moment we have to take a step, already giving indications and orientations of what we have to do before the next Christmas dates,” he claims and, in addition, requests “clarity” in the indications. This measure of the Covid certificate applies from today and will have an initial validity until January 15 with the possibility of an extension.
Alert levels.
The president of the Cabildo has assured that It would not surprise you if Tenerife would rise in level (now it is at 1) due to the evolution of the data referring to the pandemic on the Island, which also coincides with the proximity of the Christmas dates. What the insular institution asks the autonomous government is to transfer “certainties and guidelines” and since it is difficult to prohibit festive meetings, at least give some recommendations to citizens to be cautious “and the number of cases ». For this reason, Martín has advocated giving clear recommendations to the festivities regardless of the level at which a certain island is located.
Protocols
Martín has given as an example in this regard those clear recommendations demanded by the Government of the Canary Islands that “protocols could be established.” In this sense, he points out that «In the event that any island rises to level 3 or 4, any type of massive event in public should be discouraged, such as the Cabalgatas de Reyes or the public New Year’s Eve festivities ». In the case of levels 1 and 2, it proposes “that these events be held but with certain restrictions”, the fulfillment of which would be the responsibility of the organizers “public goods, as is the case of municipalities, or private in sports clubs,” for example”. Pedro Martín concludes: “The good thing would be to draw up a proposal and if in two weeks Tenerife rises to level 3 or 4, to know from now on how to act to facilitate a certain control.”
Thirty uninterrupted editions
The Covid-19 pandemic already swept away the PIT last year after thirty uninterrupted editions. The Fairgrounds did not receive the average of 60,000 people, including children and parents, who go there during the three weeks of the event. The impossibility of guaranteeing health security led the Cabildo, as now, to make the decision to suspend it. At that time, it was even valued to adapt the traditional format to be able to maintain it, but, after analyzing all the data, it was discarded due to the impossibility of guaranteeing compliance with sanitary measures. The reasons given, similar to those of now, range from the high participation to assessing that since it is an eminently childish audience, it would not be sitting but in constant movement, which would make it very difficult to keep it under control and guarantee everything that the health regulations mark. The PIT is a classic of the Christmas season prior to Reyes that generated wealth due to its logistics and employment due to the hiring of many people.