The Government has issued new Health rules for Autonomous Communities which must be met in order to expand the de-escalation of the coronavirus restrictions and the Balearic Islands is close to achieving the objectives.
The criteria includes being able to double the capacity of ICUs if there's another wave of infections, a guarantee of reserves of ventilators and other necessary medical equipment, as well as medication for the treatment of critical patients.
A diagnosis of all symptomatic people via PCR and early isolation of cases is also required “with the possibility of enabling hotel capacity or other facilities for supervised isolation of minor cases that are unable to isolate properly home," in addition to other requirements, according to the document.
The Balearic Government is analysing the document and expects to know more after the Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday, because it is not clear whether the requirements refer to all of the Balearic Islands together or whether they must be analysed island by island, which would change everything.
For example, Formentera has the most favourable conditions to be able to meet the health requirements, but as the President of the Government pointed out after a meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez and the Presidents of other Autonomous Communities, it has no Intensive Care Units.
It’s thought Menorca would also be able to meet the health criteria set out in the document.
Set schedules
Armengol is extremely concerned about the possibility of new infections and has asked Pedro Sánchez what the de-escalation criteria is likely to be for the Balearic Islands.
Armengol is not questioning Madrid’s authority to decide what opens and when, but wants be included in the decisions.
She claims that in order to avoid congestion and the risk of contagion, it might be appropriate to allow different age groups to go out at different times.
For example, children could go out in the afternoons, the elderly, in the mornings and the rest at another time.
This would avoid the kind crowds that were experienced on Sunday, which will be multiplied when the rest of the population is allowed to go out to play sports from this Saturday.
Armengol is adamant the the Ports and Airports should only be allowed to open once health guarantees are in place and suggested that controls be in place at both departure and arrival ports.
She acknowledged that this is something that must be done by other countries but insists that it is essential that checkpoints for the disease be kept in place at all Ports and Airports.
Armengol also made it clear, yet again, that Germans and other foreigners with second homes in the Balearic Islands must adhere to the same limitations as residents on the islands and that arrivals from outside remain limited.