Tag: #CoronaVirus
Latest Gran Canaria News, Views & Sunshine
Foundation Investigated for Alleged Mismanagement of Public Funds Meant for Care of Unaccompanied Migrant Minors
Jun, 2023 |
The 7th Investigative Court of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria has opened a preliminary investigation into the Social Response Foundation Siglo XXI and four of its directors. The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office in Las Palmas filed a complaint against them, alleging crimes that could include forgery of commercial documents, mismanagement, and embezzlement of public funds. The investigation aims to determine whether this nonprofit organisation, and its officials, could have misused public funds intended for the care of unaccompanied migrant minors, during the migration crisis of 2020 that was precipitated by the pandemic confinement on the islands, leading to a build up of arrivals having to be assessed and cared for by the Canary Islands Regional Government, using hotels left empty due to the lack of tourism. The estimated amount involved in the alleged misuse stands at around €12.5 million between 2020 and 2022 on Gran Canaria alone.
Canary Islands Expect Rain and Potential Storm Weather Next Week
Jun, 2023 |
The Canary Islands are preparing for a change in the weather next week, as a significant increase in cloud is expected bringing higher probability of rain. The effects of a powerful storm forming in the Atlantic Ocean are likely to extend to the Canary Islands as well as neighbouring Madeira and The Azores.
The Canary Guide #WeekendTips 2-4 June 2023
Jun, 2023 |
June is here and that means that summer is just around the corner. The Patron Saints’ festivities in honour of San Juan de Bautista and San Antonio de Padua are just getting started on Gran Canaria, and in Pueblo de Mogán the main Romería pilgrimage for San Antonio El Chico is this first Saturday of June, as well as the start of the build up to those in Arucas, Santa Brígida and Moya. This weekend also brings the biggest outlet fair shopping experience back to INFECAR and a collectables fair in Gáldar.
OPERATION KILO is this weekend, at all participating supermarkets, asking you to add a few non-perishable food items to the Food Bank collection boxes to help families in need.
Vox Enters Canarian Politics, Stage Right: Anti-Migrant, Anti-Feminist, Anti-Green, Anti-Autonomy, Anti-LGBT, Anti-Multiculturalism, Pro-Franco politics find a foothold on The Canary Islands
May, 2023 |
The Canary Islands were unable to avoid the rise of the far right on Sunday, unlike in 2019, writes Natalia G. Vargas in Canarias Ahora. Vox, which previously had no representation on the islands, managed to make its presence felt in several municipalities and councils this May 28. They also secured seats in the Canary Islands’ regional parliament, securing four deputies. “Defending what is ours, our own, and fighting against insecurity” were the slogans that underpinned Vox’s campaign in The Canary Islands, along with “family, employment, and freedom.” This rhetoric, coupled with an electoral program that was repeated across all local elections in Spain, proved sufficient. Dozens of cities and towns on the islands welcomed their first far right candidates of the modern democratic era into Canarian politics, with urban areas serving as their main strongholds.
La Alcaldesa Bueno Secures Incredible Majority in Mogán
May, 2023 |
Mogán, May 29, 2023 – The often controversial incumbent, O Bueno, La Alcaldesa, has achieved an unprecedented and resounding victory once more in Mogán. The candidate who switched her party’s name, for these elections, to “Juntos por Mogán”, a local ally of the regionalist conservatives “Coalición Canaria” (CC), will once again assume the role of mayor. Her party has clinched a rather noteworthy 17 out of the 21 seats in the Municipal Council of this popular tourism destination located on the sunny southwest of Gran Canaria.

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Let’s Dance! Canary Islands to lift all Covid-19 restrictions on Thursday, but mask rules will continue for a little while longer
Mar, 2022 | News
The Canary Islands are to eliminate all restrictions activated by the Covid-19 pandemic this Thursday, except the use of masks indoors, which remains strictly a state measure, in the hands of the Spanish Ministry of Health and, for the moment, there is no date set to address the matter.
Regional President Ángel Víctor Torres announced on Tuesday, in the regional Parliament, that “following the technical criteria” all pandemic restrictions in the archipelago will be suspended. This announcement opens a new stage in the recovery, although it may still be revoked if the epidemiological circumstances worsen, he specified. The pandemic is not yet over.
However festivals, events, and gatherings will be without limits and without any form of curfew in leisure, among various other measures.
Including:
1. General capacity : 100%, both in outdoor spaces and indoors.
2. Cultural activity : Maximum capacity, as per the venue’s license, regardless of whether or not it is considered a mass event, will be 100% both in open and enclosed spaces.
3. Public shows : Cultural, recreational, leisure and entertainment activities, including sports, that take place sporadically, and in places other than those establishments intended for the regular exercise of those activities, can now operate at maximum capacity of 100% both outdoors and indoors in enclosed spaces, regardless of whether the public is to remain standing or sitting, or the consumption of food at the event.
4. Federated and non-federated, professional and non-professional sports practice : Allowed outdoors or in enclosed spaces, maintaining the interpersonal distance of 2 meters whenever possible.
5. Groups of people : There will be no imposed limit.
6. Health centres: Health centres will not limit capacity or specific groups of people.
7. Closing times : All establishments recover the closing hours for which they were licensed before the outbreak of the pandemic, and dancing will once again be allowed.
8. Training, competitions and sporting events: the capacity of the public will be 100% both in open spaces and in closed spaces and the measures provided for in the Agreement of the Inter-territorial Council of the National Health System of February 16, 2022 on the measures for mass sporting events, including those of the Professional Football League and the ACB League.
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All the islands maintain their current health alert levels, though infections rise slightly
Mar, 2022 | #TheCanaryCoronaVirus, Health, News
Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro remain at level 3; and Fuerteventura and Lanzarote at level 2. The daily average of conventional hospital beds occupied by covid patients throughout the Archipelago as a whole has decreased by 18.4% compared to the previous week and that of ICU beds decreased by 12%.
The Canary Islands Ministry of Health on Thursday, March 17, updated health alert levels, following this week’s epidemiological report from the General Directorate of Public Health, with consolidated data as of March 16. The report on the evolution of health indicators for COVID-19 on all the islands decides the appropriate alert levels for each.
Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro remain at alert level 3; and Fuerteventura and Lanzarote (where La Graciosa is included epidemiologically) at level 2. All with greatly reduced measures and few restrictions now in place on hospitality businesses.
The epidemiological situation of each territory is based fundamentally on hospital pressure (bed occupancy indicators now being the determining factor for analysing the trends and severity of COVID-19) and the incidence on the transmission of the coronavirus, according to the modifications established within the Inter-territorial Council.
Healthcare indicators
Care indicators show a favourable evolution and the daily average number of occupied conventional hospital beds has decreased by 18.3% compared to the previous week, with an average occupancy rate of 5%, this indicator remains at medium risk. The percentage occupation in Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and La Gomera are all at medium risk; Fuerteventura is at low risk and Lanzarote and El Hierro are at very low risk. The number of occupied ICU beds continues with the downward trend, falling 12% compared to the previous evaluation. ICU occupation for the whole of the Archipelago is 9.7%. Tenerife and Gran Canaria are at medium risk, while the rest of the islands remain in controlled circulation.
Epidemiological indicators
In the Regional Autonomous Community as a whole, between March 8 and 14, saw 9,162 new cases of COVID-19 reported, representing a 3.3% increase in the daily average of new cases in relation to the previous week. These data respond to a 3.3% increase in Accumulated Incidence (AI) at 7 days throughout the Canary Islands. From a weekly average of 407.4 cases per 100,000 population, this figure rose to 421.1 cases per 100,000 this week.
All the islands remain at very high risk for this indicator, except Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, which are at a medium and high risk, respectively. The island that has risen the most in this indicator is Tenerife, followed by La Gomera.
The 7-day AI for people over 65 years of age has risen to 29%, the Autonomous Community as a whole, and all the islands, are at very high risk in this indicator. The greatest increase is observed on the island of La Palma, followed by La Gomera.
The 14-day AI fell by 3.7%, although the level of risk is still very high for the whole of the Archipelago.
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Canary Islands continue de-escalation, returning to 100% capacity in general, for hospitality, sports and culture
Mar, 2022 | #TheCanaryCoronaVirus, News
The Government of the Canary Islands have agreed at their meeting held this Thursday, March 3, to continue with the de-escalation of restrictions applied to contain the pandemic caused by COVID-19, after the latest measures approved 15 days ago.
The agreement affects the general capacity, both in outdoor and indoor spaces, and those of cultural and sports activity, which is established in both cases at 100% in all the islands, since it is adopted for health alert levels 1, 2 and 3.
The Executive makes this new agreement with a commitment to continue, as it has been doing until now, to remain vigilant and prudent in the process of modulating the measures, as has already been happening in all the autonomous communities, throughout Spain.
The Governing Council agreed to this modulation, after the report from the General Directorate of Public Health that shows the downward trend in care indicators, which are the ones that in this new phase of the pandemic inform the state strategy of detection and monitoring for COVID-19.
The sixth wave, Ómicron variant, has caused changes in the transmission, evolution and impact of COVID-19 and therefore in the indicators that must be analysed for monitoring.
New measuresThe main new temporary measures that will be in force on the islands that are at alert levels 1, 2 and 3, starting next Monday, March 7th, are:
General capacity: 100%, both in outdoor and indoor spaces.
Cultural activity: the maximum capacity, regardless of whether or not it is considered a massive event, will be 100% in both open and closed spaces.
Public shows: cultural, recreational, leisure and entertainment activities, including sports, that take place sporadically and in places other than the establishments intended for the regular exercise of said activity, will have a maximum capacity of 100% both outdoors and in spaces closed, and regardless of whether the public remains standing or sitting, as well as the consumption of food.
Federated and non-federated, professional and non-professional sports practice: allowed outdoors or in closed spaces, maintaining the interpersonal distance of 2 meters whenever possible. The number of participants will be limited by the specific regulations of each sport.
Training, competitions and sporting events: the capacity of the public will be 100% both in open spaces and in enclosed spaces and the measures provided for in the Agreement of the Inter-territorial Council of the National Health System of February 16, 2022 on the measures in place for mass sporting events, including those of the Professional Football League and the ACB League.
Children’s and youth camps: The capacity will be 100% for both outdoor activities and indoor activities.
Camping, refuges, non-social shelters and overnight camps: Camping is not allowed, except in the spaces enabled for this activity and the camping area will be delimited respecting the safety distance. The overnight stay will be carried out guaranteeing the distance of 2 meters between beds, bunks or people, and maintaining cross ventilation with outside air.
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Gran Canaria goes to alert level 3 due to the improvement of its epidemiological indicators
Mar, 2022 | #TheCanaryCoronaVirus, Health, News
Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, La Gomera and El Hierro continue at Level 3; and Lanzarote, at Level 2
The daily average occupation of conventional hospital beds in the Archipelago as a whole has decreased by 26% compared to last week and ICU beds occupied by covid patients has fallen by 14%
The Ministry of Health has today updated the health alert levels following this week’s epidemiological report from the General Directorate of Public Health with consolidated data as of March 2.
The change in level for Gran Canaria will come into force at 00:00 this Friday, March 4
In the COVID-19 report health indicators allow Gran Canaria to drop to Alert Level 3, having improved in epidemiological indicators.
The rest of the islands maintain their current Alert Levels, Tenerife, La Palma, Fuerteventura, El Hierro and La Gomera maintain Level 3; and Lanzarote (where La Graciosa is epidemiologically included) Level 2.
Gran Canaria has been enabled to move to Level 3 due improvements in care impact indicators over the last 14 days, with hospital occupancy on the wards in the last two weeks going from a high risk to a medium risk, while occupancy of beds in the ICUs also decreased to medium risk.
However, the evolution of the indicators will be closely observed due to a slight upward trend in the 7day AI this week, which has an impact on the care capacity indicators. The level change will take effect at 00:00 this Friday, February 4 (on the night of Thursday to Friday).
The evolution of the epidemiological indicators on the rest of the islands have still not yet presented sufficient stability in the the data to propose further decreases in levels, just yet.
Health alert levels are determined by the Ministry of Health based on the epidemiological and healthcare indicators that are collected weekly; The healthcare indicators currently record the evolution of the pandemic, according to the modifications established within the Interterritorial Council by the Ministry of Health and the Autonomous Communities.
???? Se actualizan los niveles de alerta por islas. Gran Canaria baja a nivel 3.
???? Nivel 2: #Lanzarote y #LaGraciosa
???? Nivel 3: #LaPalma, #ElHierro, #Fuerteventura, #LaGomera, #Tenerife y #GranCanaria
(Sigue ????)
— Presidencia GobCan (@PresiCan) March 3, 2022
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Canary Islands Health Ministry reports 1,871 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours
Feb, 2022 | #TheCanaryCoronaVirus, News
The Ministry of Health this Friday reported 1,871 new cases of coronavirus COVID-19. To total 19,201 currently active cases across the region, of which 43 are in the ICU and 296 remain hospitalised.
For the latest Canary Islands data on Covid-19, updated daily, check our Canary Islands dashboard
The 7-day Accumulated Incidence (7dAI) in the Canary Islands stands at 437.6 cases per 100,000 inhabitants and at 14 days at 691.38 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.
By islands, Tenerife today have confirmed 734 new cases with 7,767 epidemiologically active cases; Gran Canaria has 904 more and 9,064 active. Lanzarote adds 97 new cases with 514 epidemiologically active; Fuerteventura has 69 new cases and 1,364 active. La Palma adds 52 new positives, to total 368 active. El Hierro adds six new cases, so has 20 active, and La Gomera adds nine new positives, to make 104 active cases.
To date, a total of 3,246,860 diagnostic tests have been carried out on the Islands, of which 5,644 correspond to yesterday.
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Gran Canaria remains at Alert Level 4 while Tenerife goes to Alert Level 3
Feb, 2022 | #TheCanaryCoronaVirus, News
Gran Canaria remains at alert level 4; La Palma, Fuerteventura, La Gomera and El Hierro at level 3; and Lanzarote at level 2. The evolution of the indicators on the rest of the islands does not yet present sufficient stability to allow other changes in level
The Ministry of Health has today updated the health alert levels after the epidemiological report of the General Directorate of Public Health with consolidated data as of February 23. The report specifies the evolution of the health indicators due to COVID-19, which allows the island of Tenerife to be lowered to level 3, after the improvement of its epidemiological indicators.
Tenerife goes to level 3 due to the improvement of the care impact indicators in the last 14 days, having moved the hospital occupancy of beds on the ward in the last two weeks from high to medium risk, and occupancy of ICU beds decreases to medium risk. However, the indicators will be closely observed over concerns that the slightly upward evolution of the 7 day AI over in the last week could continue which in turn could have an impact on the care capacity indicators. The level change will take effect at 00:00 this Friday, February 25 (on the night of Thursday to Friday).
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Spain and The Canary Islands remove restrictions on travel for British youths
Feb, 2022 | News
The Canary Islands State Gazette, the BOC, this Friday included an order by which, as of Monday, British people between 12 and 18 years of age will be allowed to travel to Spain, and specifically to the Canary Islands, with a vaccination certificate or PCR carried out within 72 hours prior to arrival.
The restriction had caused a huge drop in bookings and in the arrival of tourists, according to the hotel sector, during the high winter season.
The tourism sector, given the decline in reservations in family tourism, blamed this restriction in particular because many British minors do not have a complete vaccination schedule.
The ministerial order, which is being finalised between the Spanish Ministries of Health, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Industry, Commerce and Tourism, has also been published this Friday in the Official State Gazette (BOE) and will come into force on Saturday, official governmental sources confirmed to El Confidencial.
Until now, the Health order prohibiting young Brits of this particular age group from traveling to Spain without full vaccination had had to be accepted without argument. Children under 12 years of age residing in non-EU countries were exempt from presenting any health certificate if they traveled to Spain accompanied by a suitably vaccinated adult.
In a publication on his social networks, President Ángel Víctor Torres congratulated the regional government on the elimination of a measure that discouraged bookings, from tourists with children, to the islands. “From the Canary Islands we have been working on this issue for months, which has been slowed down by the high [number of] infections that the sixth wave of coronavirus has produced,” said the president.
Likewise, he highlighted the administrative complexity that the change entails, since it involves three ministries: the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Numerous meetings have been held between the Government of the Canary Islands and Spain’s Ministry of Health, and with its head, Carolina Darias, Torres confirmed, which have now borne fruit
“Excellent news for the tourist recovery and the high season in #Canarias. Today the BOE publishes the order that, as of Monday, British people between 12 and 18 years of age will be allowed to visit us with a vaccination certificate or PCR carried out in the previous 72 hours.”
Excelente noticia para la recuperación turística y la temporada alta en #Canarias. Hoy el @boegob recoge la orden que, a partir del lunes, permite que los británicos entre 12 y 18 años puedan visitarnos con certificado de vacunación o PCR realizada en las 72 horas previas. pic.twitter.com/I02uAVs8qd
— Ángel Víctor Torres Pérez (@avtorresp) February 11, 2022
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Canary Islands maintains Covid Alert Levels as Government establishes a de-escalation in the measures applied
Feb, 2022 | #TheCanaryCoronaVirus, News
Groups of people in spaces for public and private use, indoors or outdoors, can be no more than a maximum of 12 people, cohabitants excepted, at Alert Levels 1 and 2; no more than eight people, except cohabitants, at Alert Level 3, and six people, except cohabitants, at Alert Level 4.
Night time opening hours are restricted until 04:00 at alert level 1 and 2; at 03:00 hours at alert level 3, and at 02:00 hours at alert level 4.
The TSJC Regional High Court, today, also rejected voluntary Covid passport measures which seems to mean an official end to the system of checking health status for access facilities and businesses, at least for now.
The Canary Islands Governing Council in its ordinary session held this Thursday, February 10, agreed to continue with the moderate and progressive de-escalation of restrictions in the face of a continued decrease in the accumulated incidence of this sixth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The approved measure, adopted after evaluating the epidemiological report of the General Directorate of Public Health of the Canary Health Service, contemplates relaxing the restrictions of each Health Alert Level, relaxing that the measures in force..
This measure will be applicable from 00:00 on February 11, 2022 until midnight on March 10, 2022, without prejudice to the possibility of extension depending on the epidemiological situation.
The Governing Council insists on the importance of continuing to maintain caution in the face of the Omicron variant and the healthcare pressure on the Archipelago’s health system that this sixth wave has caused, which will mean all the islands stay at their current Health Alert Level. The report from the General Directorate of Public Health still ranks healthcare capacity at either high or very high risk on all the islands, despite the reduction in the number of daily cases. Although the Accumulated Incidence (AI) since January 14 has shown a continuous decrease in the number of cases, with a reduction of 83.6 percent measured over 7 days; The transmissibility reached was so high that these indicators also continue to be at high risk.
However, this continued decrease, in the accumulated incidence, that has occurred in recent weeks allows the measures to be relaxed in accordance with the current epidemiological situation.
This measure is agreed in view of the favourable evolution of the epidemiological indicators, and in application of the provisions of article 22.4 of Decree Law 11/2021, of September 2, which establishes the legal regime of health alert and measures for the control and management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Canary Islands, establishes that “The regional health authority may agree, in a reasoned manner, to apply a lower level of alert than that applicable in a given territorial area based on its specific epidemiological situation, provided that the general interests of health intervention against the COVID-19 pandemic and the preservation of the healthcare capacity of the health system are not put at risk.”
De-escalation and flexibility
The agreement reached today supposes, de facto, the suspension of the restrictive measures that were applied to the islands in Alert Level 4, entering into force the measures of the Alert Level 3, instead. In the same way, islands that are at Level 3, will adopt the measures of Level 2 and each island that passes in future reviews to Level 2, will benefit from the measures previously applied to Level 1. Level 1 precautions remain unchanged.
The relaxation of measures to a level lower than that established on each island affects all activities and establishments subject to limitations due to the pandemic. It is established at alert levels 1 and 2 that groups of people in spaces for public and private use, indoors or outdoors, cannot be more than a maximum of 12 people, except cohabitants; eight people, except cohabitants, at Alert Level 3, and six people, except cohabitants, at Alert Level 4.
As for closing times, the maximum authorised hours now shift closing times to 04:00 hours at Alert Level 1 and 2; at 03:00 hours at Alert Level 3, and at 02:00 hours at Alert Level 4.
With regard to hotel and restaurant establishments and activities, on Levels 1 and 2 the capacity will be 100% outdoors and 75% indoors, tables may be occupied by up to a maximum of 12 people and maximum closing times established at 04.00 hours; at Alert Level 3 the capacity will be 75% outdoors and 50% indoors, the tables can be occupied by a maximum of 8 people and closing will be before 03:00; and, finally, at Alert Level 4, capacity will be 75% on terraces and 40% indoors, tables can be occupied by no more than 6 people and closing time no later than 02:00.
????️ #CGobCan El viceconsejero @_AntonioOlivera avanza la desescalada en las medidas aplicadas en cada nivel de alerta para hacerlas equivalentes al nivel inferior
???? La entrada en vigor será esta medianoche pic.twitter.com/DIX4TYKe5m
— Presidencia GobCan (@PresiCan) February 10, 2022
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