The mayor of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Jose Manuel Bermúdez, held a meeting this Thursday with the Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, Blas Trujillo, and the councilors of Fiestas of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Inmaculada Medina and Alfonso Cabello, respectively, to analyze the current health situation of the islands and plan a common strategy for the organization of Christmas and Carnival with all health and legal guarantees. The meeting was also attended by the general director of Public Health of the Government of the Canary Islands.
Both municipal institutions and the Ministry of Health have agreed to form, as of next Wednesday, October 13, a work table to begin making common decisions, in which the return to the rehearsal premises at the beginning of November for part of the Carnival groups, be the first resolution that is taken.
The mayor highlighted the urgency of making decisions “since in the decree that was approved for sanitary standards at the time, Carnival groups are equated with neighborhood associations when what they really are, cultural associations whose activity is the same as a dance school. And what is not normal is that they have the same requirements as an academy that carries out a musical activity ”.
“If the groups cannot rehearse from now on, we do not arrive in time to be able to celebrate the galas and contests because it is practically impossible for them to have enough time to carry out their rehearsals, to which we should add the rest of the unions that depend on these dates such as It could be the textile sector, for example ”, warned Bermúdez.
The Councilor for Festivities of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Inmaculada Medina, confirmed the joint work that both capital councils have been doing “since we have a lot of work in progress and that next Wednesday we will present at the work table to leave with the first decisions taken ”.
“As of today, what we have already prepared is a contagion prevention plan for the return to the test premises and also a decalogue of recommendations for returning to the premises, which guarantee the health safety of all groups,” said Cabello .
For the Minister of Health of the Government of the Canary Islands, Blas Trujillo, the current situation of the pandemic in the Canary Islands “with very positive data, due to the high level of vaccination and compliance with health protocols, indicates that in the coming months the situation of the pandemic is in much better limiters and in this way we can work on a gradual return to the organization of these important festivals for the Canary Islands ”.
Finally, it should be noted that another of the points that were discussed was the complexity of organizing a Carnival in the street without enough time, so both parties were summoned to the next meetings to make decisions in this regard.
