Lanzarote is now on Level 3 – the maximum level of the Canarian Government’s three tiers of anti-Covid measures. Yesterday’s decision by the Canarian Council of Ministers had been expected and followed the announcement that the island has seen 124 new cases – the highest daily total ever. This figure took Lanzarote to 609 cases overall, another record for the island.
Level 3 restrictions came into effect this morning and will last for two weeks until January 28th. The current health situation means they are almost certain to be renewed on that date, and Lanzarote is likely to remain on Level 3 for at least a month.
Measures which apply from today are the following:
Border closure
Travel on and off the island (to other Canary Islands) is forbidden except for “justifiable causes”. These causes include the following:
- Journeys to health centres and hospitals
- Work, professional, business, institutional or legal reasons
- Return to habitual place of residence
- Caring for the elderly, disabled, dependent or especially vulnerable people.
- Urgent or necessary actions before public, judicial and notarial bodies
- Travel to financial entities or insurance companies
- Renewal of permits and official documents, and other unavoidable administrative processes.
- Situations of force majeure or necessity
- Any similar situation, duly accredited.
Curfew
A curfew will be in operation from 10 pm to 6 am each night. Travel between this hours will only be permitted for “justified causes”. These include:
- Acquisition of medicines and health products at pharmacies.
- Attending health centres and hospitals
- Work, professional, business, institutional or legal reasons
- Return to habitual place of residence after completing one of the previous activities.
- Caring for the elderly, disabled, dependent or especially vulnerable people
- Situations of force majeure or necessity
- Any similar situation, duly accredited.
- Refuelling in petrol stations for one of the previous reasons.
- Attendance and care of domestic animals or livestock.
Limits on gatherings
All public and private gatherings of people who do not live in the same household are forbidden except for in bars and restaurants, where a limit of four people observing social distancing applies.
This effectively means that you cannot meet anyone you don’t live with outside of bars and restaurants.
Bars and restaurants
Bars and restaurants must close by 10 pm, and it is forbidden to serve customers indoors except in certain special cases, such as hotel dining rooms used only by guests. A limit of 4 people is permitted at any table.
Sports
Indoor sports are forbidden. Outdoor sports may be carried out individually , only when social distancing can be guaranteed.
Visits
Hospital visits are cancelled for all patients except children, pregnant women and the terminally ill. Care home outings are suspended and visits to elderly care home residents strictly limited.
Public transport
The maximum capacity of buses remains 50%.
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There are no measures regarding mask use, by which it must be assumed that there is no change in the current laws requiring compulsory mask wearing in public places.
Despite calls for a lockdown, it is highly unlikely that this will take place in the near future. Some regions that are even worse affected than Lanzarote have asked the Spanish government to extend State of Alarm powers so that they can impose lockdowns, but so far government officials have discounted this.
Meanwhile, the Canarian Government has never considered requesting a lockdown, and believes that the measures in the three-level system are sufficiently effective to flatten the curve.
