Ximo Puig announces the start of a new stage of ‘progressive opening’

Saturday 8th May 2021 – PRESS RELEASE with Mike Smith

Ximo Puig, the president of the Generalitat Valenciana, has announced the start of a new stage in overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic, a “new dynamic” that means a period of “progressive opening that, thanks to vaccination, will not be reversed”.

The head of the regional government made the comments on the occasion of the formal end to the national state of alarm and the entry into force of a new regulatory framework in the fight against the spread of the virus, new measures that have been announced after a meeting of the Interdepartmental Bureau for Prevention and Action against COVID-19. These measures come into force at 00:00 Sunday 9th May – tonight (Saturday) at midnight.

Thus, the regional borders will be open which will restore freedom of movement on entering and leaving the Comunidad Valenciana. Puig said that “I promised that this measure would not last one day longer than necessary and so it will be”.

In addition, the new measures, which will be in force until Monday 24th May, has pushed back the start of the night curfew to 00:00 midnight with bars and restaurants permitted to stay open until 23:30 (these venues can also increase their interior capacity to 50%). The maximum number of people who can gather together has also been extended to ten people, both in public and private spaces, open or closed.

Puig said: “These are three advances that will boost the activity of thousands of businesses and that will allow the region to return to state of almost full activity.”

Pride

The president said that the Valencian people “have lived up to this historic moment, the worst of the last 100 years,” adding that “we can feel proud” to be a European benchmark and a region that knows how to protect its citizens. “With this attitude of strength and unity, we are coming out of a tunnel and we are entering a new dynamic.”

He also had words for those who have lost their lives as a result of the pandemic, referring especially to the elderly population: “You were the most important and no one here ever discussed what was worth more – a beer or a life.”

Vaccination

Puig also highlighted the good pace of the vaccination campaign in the Comunidad Valenciana, with the administration of some 270,000 doses last week, which has meant that “we have almost reached the figure of two million inoculated doses”.

He also explained that everyone over the age of 75 have completed the required course and that the campaign moves forward with those aged between 60 and 75, suggesting that by the end of this month, everyone over the age of 60 will have received at least one dose. He added that the current plan is to vaccinate everyone over the age of 50 during the month of June.

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