Contingency Plan Requested for Pope’s Visit to the Canary Islands
Union Calls for Urgent Health Measures
The Assembly7islas union has requested that the Health Department of the Canary Islands Government develop and activate a specific contingency plan in light of Pope Leo XIV’s visit to the archipelago. The organisation deems it essential to implement extraordinary measures “to ensure health assistance” during the anticipated mass events in Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
In a formal letter, the union warns of the “difficulties that may arise in ensuring the coverage of health services” due to traffic restrictions, road closures, and mobility limitations.
Access to Workplaces Affected
According to Assembly7islas, these circumstances could hinder “the access of numerous professionals to their workplaces in hospitals, health centres, emergency services, and continuous care facilities,” potentially impacting the normal functioning of healthcare services.
Consequently, the organisation believes it is crucial to “implement organisational and logistical measures that ensure the timely arrival of essential workers at their places of work and avoid possible disruptions in service delivery.”
Staff Reinforcement Needed
Furthermore, the union emphasises the need to bolster staffing at healthcare centres and emergency services “in anticipation of a significant influx of visitors from other autonomous communities and various countries,” along with the “concentration of people” at the scheduled events.
Among the proposals outlined, Assembly7islas calls for the advance coordination “of an extraordinary plan that includes staff reinforcements, specific mobility plans for essential workers, and additional resources in those centres where an increase in care demand is expected during the visit.”
