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CostaBlancaPeople 13th - 19th July 2021
13th - 19th July - edition 898
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your Essential Weekly Read
New restrictions, more to come
After a surge in infections in the Valencian Community, the regional government rolled back some of the ‘freedoms’ of recent weeks and
reinstated certain restrictions once more in a bid to control the spread of the coronavirus and all its variants. As the Costa Blanca People went to
print on Monday, the Supreme Court (tSJCV) was studying whether or not to approve the reintroduction of two of the most controversial restrictions placed on citizens: the night curfew and a limitation on social gatherings.
the Supreme Court announced on Monday that it would not oppose the measures, allowing the curfew to be imposed in selected locations. the final decision is now in the hands of Supreme Court Magistrates and is expected to be announced on Monday night or early on tuesday, just as the Costa Blanca People goes to print. the Valencian Government made a series of requests late last week in the face of a massive surge in infections,
mainly among 20 to 29 year olds where the rate has tripled. the situation has “significantly” worsened, say authorities. the department of health has revealed that outbreaks originating in the “social sphere” in recent days have increased fivefold.
President of the Valencian Community Ximo Puig announced his intention to roll back deescalation in order to stop the spread. While Supreme Court Magistrates decide upon final approval of the curfew and limits on social gatherings, some restrictions have been reintroduced without needing further approval. the Valencian Government revealed a battery of measures, which were introduced on Saturday and will be maintained until July 25. Aside from the pending decision about the curfew and social gathering limits, the following restrictions are now in place: · nightlife closures: ‘ocio nocturno’, that is discotheques, nighclubs and late night venues, are only allowed open under the same conditions as bars and restaurants (closing at 12.30am).
· Bar/Restaurant closing time: the hospitality industry closing time has been brought forward one hour. Bars and restaurants must stop serving customers at 12 midnight and close their doors at 12.30am. · Capacity changes: in bars and restaurants, tables are restricted to groups of 10 outside and groups of 6 inside. · Sale of alcohol: in order to prevent the ‘botellón’, a gathering of people drinking alcohol in a public place, the government has prohibited the sale of alcohol after 8pm in shops and supermarkets. in addition, more police surveillance will be in place to prevent this type of gathering. · large scale events: the capacity of large scale events has been reduced. in open spaces, crowds of 4000 now become 3000 and in interior venues, 3000 becomes 2000. Festivals or parades are still not allowed. · iF FinAl APPRoVAl GRAnted: the curfew would be reinstated from 1am to 6am but would not be across the entire Valencian Community – only in around 40 problem areas, revealed health Minister Ana Bareló. Social gatherings would be limited to 10 people across the Valencian Community if the new measures are approved.
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