The Junta de Andalucía is extending opening hours for businesses, including hospitality venues, and will push back the curfew from this Friday. This was announced a few minutes ago by the president of the Andalusian government, Juanma Moreno, following the meeting held with the committee of experts to analyse the progress of the pandemic in the region.
According to Moreno Bonilla, all Andalusian provinces will remain closed, at least until Holy Week is over. There will be no travel and journeys to see family or friends will not be permitted but, on the other hand, the Andalusian government has decided to allow more freedom within the provinces.
Thus, except in municipalities that exceed the rate of a thousand infections per 100,000 inhabitants over the last two weeks, shops and bars will be able to open until 22:30 as the curfew is being pushed back to 23:00, so it will not be permitted to remain on public roads from eleven at night until six in the morning.
«The situation remains serious and just as unpredictable as a year ago», the regional president warned, recalling that «the virus is still here with us«. «The daily figures show that we must continue to take this very seriously», he added.
Decisions must be made based on the data. Andalucía has 123 cases per 100,000 inhabitants, which represents a medium-high risk of infection. We are better than a month ago, but we are not doing very well. The curve is not finishing its descent. We are in a plateau situation with a certain tendency to rise from next week, the president said.
Moreno Bonilla maintained that, although not all Andalusians will like the measures, his government has taken the advice of the experts and has always opted for a model that balances health and the economy. «It has been a model well regarded outside our borders. We believe it is better and more appropriate to talk about prudence, although it is not easy», he said.
Moreno also expressed his concern about the shortage of vaccines and that the process «is not moving at the desired pace«, as well as about the spread of the British and South African variants.
The president ended his address by asking for responsibility and understanding from all Andalusians ahead of the upcoming holiday dates. Holy Week will be the first big test of the year for Andalusians after the serious consequences of the Christmas celebrations.
