Although I was born in the UK, I moved to the Canary Islands, Spain at a young age and I haven't looked back. The Canaries is a fantastic place to live, I mean you can do all types of outdoor activities practically all year round because of the great weather. Horses are my poison but the islands are also a superb spot for water sports so they do attract a lot of attention from people around the world.
Anyway, enough about that. Back in 2011, I made one of the biggest, scariest yet best decisions I'd ever made and set-up my own business in the middle of a recession. I love what I do as no two days are the same, plus Spanish law keeps me on my toes as it is constantly changing (often without warning!) so there is always something new to learn. As I've branched out in the world of Administrative Consultancy, I decided to create a blog to discuss topics of interest to others in my industry and my clients, share tips and experiences, to see what new ideas people have for improving their businesses and the like so I hope you'll find the time to join me on this venture...
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As is now custom, the Canarian Government convened yesterday afternoon to discuss the latest island statistics and adopt decisions and new measures where necessary.
This week some islands have moved tiers, but these changes won’t come into immediate effect and instead it has been delayed until midnight of Monday 26th July 2021 to make it easier to shift from one alert level to another and apply the restrictions of each one.
Over the weekend and despite the changes approved yesterday, each island will maintain the restrictions that apply to the tier they were on:
Alert Level 1: La Gomera, El Hierro and Lanzarote
Alert Level 2: La Palma and Gran Canaria
Alert Level 3: Tenerife and Fuerteventura
From Monday 26th July 2021, the established Alert Levels will be:
Alert Level 1: El Hierro
Alert Level 2: La Gomera and Lanzarote
Alert Level 3: Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and La Palma
Alert Level 4: Tenerife
Fuerteventura remains at Alert Level 3 so nothing changes for us.
Tráfico is moving forward with plans to replace the warning triangles used to alert other road users when a vehicle breaks down with V16 emergency beacons. Triangles were introduced in July 1999 but this system is going to be modernized with a beacon that is placed on the roof of the vehicle and emits an orange warning light.
Why the Change?
Jorge Ordás, Tráfico’s General Deputy Director of Transportation and Technology explains that the warning triangles will be substituted for an alternative system primarily because of the number of fatalities on Spanish roads that have been recorded due to drivers exiting their vehicles to place or collect the triangles on the road. This raised a serious safety issue that needed to be addressed.
Motorway Overhead Gantry Sign
How Does the Beacon Work?
To alert other road users to our situation, the beacon is placed on the highest part of the vehicle to guarantee maximum visibility. The way the beacon is designed allows for the driver to place it on the roof of the vehicle without having to set foot outside, by simply putting your arm through the window and therefore lowering the risk level. The beacon has a double function in that every 100 seconds it sends a signal to DGT (Tráfico) Cloud 3.0 and this information is relayed to motorway overhead gantry signs (this function won’t be any good to use on Fuerteventura as we don’t have overhead signs but the rest of Spain will benefit from it) to confirm the location of the vehicle and advise other drivers as they approach the scene.
When are the Beacons Obligatory in Spain?
The switch from triangles to emergency beacons becomes obligatory from 1st January 2026, however, from 1st July 2021 drivers are permitted to use beacons with or without geopositioning location service. From 2026, the triangles will be obselete and as you can imagine fines will apply if drivers do not comply with the changes. From a safety point of view, it wouldn’t hurt to buy the beacon now for approximately 25 euros.
If you must get out of the vehicle, make sure it is done safely and only if there is a secure space off the road and always in the opposite direction to the flow of traffic. If a safe space is not available, drivers are urged to remain in their vehicles with their seat belts fastened until road assistance arrives to save the day.
PS: It sure feels good to write about something other than the pandemic again!
Yesterday, Thursday 15th July 2021, the Health Department convened to discuss progres on each island based on reports on the number of recorded cases and unfortunately for us, Fuerteventura joins Tenerife at Level 3. The only other change made was to La Palma whose increasing cases sees the island go up to Level 2 whilst the remaining islands stay where they are.
According to statistics between the 30th June and 13th July, 352 COVID-19 cases were reported on Fuerteventura; this represents an average of 25 new daily cases. This means that Accumulated Incident Index went from high risk to very high risk on 9th July. Fortunately, no associated deaths nor ICU inpatients have been recorded, however, this apparent outbreak raises concerns.
As we are all aware, each level has specific restrictions, so lets quickly summarize what that means for us here on Fuerteventura. According to the Official Canary Islands’ Bulletin (BOC) published on 9th July 2021, at Level 3, the following limitations apply:
GENERAL LIMITATIONS
In public or private areas, social gatherings of up to four people except if they reside under the same roof
Nightclubs must remain closed
Parks and beaches will close before 10pm to avoid people meeting up to drink (botellones). Shops are prohibited from selling alcohol after 10pm
Maximum occupancy in shopping centres is 25% (if customers don’t overrun shops in the sales!)
Public events are not permitted
Maximum occupancy on public transport is reduced to 33%
Visiting patients in hospital has been suspended for the time being unless special circumstances warrant them
Curfew from midnight to 6am bar exceptions detailed under regulation
HOSPITALITY SECTOR
Bars, restaurants, terraces etc must ensure a 2 metre distance between different tables or groups of tables is maintained at all times to include spacing for clients sat at the bar.
75% of maximum occupancy must not be exceeded on terraces and outside areas
40% of maximum occupancy must not be exceeded in interior areas. This may be increased to 50% if at least 10% of the customers have been fully vaccinated
Occupancy per table or group of tables
Outside areas: 6 persons per table
Interior areas: 4 personas per table if not vaccinated and 6 persons per table if fully vaccinated
Bar: 2 persons per group of customers
Buffet service in interior areas is prohibited
All establishments must close before midnight
Delivery services remains the same for all Alert Levels and may continue until midnight
Customers may ring in food orders to be collected from the establishment but times must be given to avoid too many people arriving at the same time. The establishment must have a clearly sign posted designated area for customers to pay for and collect their orders
Masks must be worn at all times except for when food and drink are being consumed
Customer Logs must continue when customers are served inside
All other protocols regarding menus, servillets etc remain as before
This is a massive blow as it feels as though things were just starting to pick up again but this virus is here to stay so if we all do our part, we can curb the numbers and hopefully go back down to a safer level soon.
Saturday 26th June 2021 is a new day and another step towards a “new normal” because Royal Decree-Law 13/2021, 24th June relaxes the rules on the use of masks in certain scenarios. Let’s break down what is going on and what the current rules are so you can kick start this weekend in style…
According to the State Bulletin (BOE), the pandemic’s evolution and the large number of vaccinations that have taken place during the first half of the year allow certain restrictions to be reduced bit by bit and will be done away with altogether (hopefully) when overall vaccinations in Spain exceed 70% of the population and all territories are situated below Alert Level I.
One of the measures that has had the most impact on controlling the transmission of COVID-19 has been the obligatory and continued use of face masks, something we have begrudgingly had to get used to in our daily lives. However, due to the above results and to praise those of us who have upheld these rules, they can now be relaxed in open-air spaces.
Article 6 of Law 2/2021, 29th March has been amended in the following way:
Persons age six and older are obliged to use masks in the following scenarios:
In any enclosed public area or areas that are open to the public
In any open-air space that due to crowding does not allow for the minimum 1,5 metre safety distance between people (this does not include people who live under the same roof)
When using public transport (air, sea, road, train) which includes waiting areas and terminals. The same rules apply when using private transport if the occupants of the vehicle do not reside together. When travelling by sea, the use of masks is not compulsory when passengers are in their cabins or outside as long as the safety distance can be observed.
The above obligations do not apply under the following circumstances:
Persons who have certain illnesses or respiratory difficulties that may be worsened by wearing a face mask; persons who are unable to remove their masks themselves due to their discapacity or dependence on others; persons who suffer from behavioural disorders that does not allow for the correct use of masks
If the nature of the activity being carried out is incompatible with the use of masks, in line with indications issued by the health authorities
In public places or enclosed areas that form part of collective residences such as retirement homes or nursing homes. This only applies to those who reside at these homes and not to external visitors or staff
This Decree was approved on 24th June 2021 and published yesterday evening which means the changes come into effect TODAY! Be responsible, be considerate and follow these rules so we can keep moving forward until we can return to some type of normalcy.
Disclaimer: I do not condone littering so the image is SYMBOLIC. Do not literally throw your masks on the ground lol 😉
On Thursday 10th June 2021, the Canarian Government finally approved longer opening hours for Nightclubs, Cocktail Bars and Karoke establishments on islands in Alert Level I from last night.
These establishments may stay open until 2am if they comply with additional measures such as limited occupancy, adequate ventilation (inside and outside) and register customer contact information to allow the authorities to track possible contagion for at least thirty days. The islands that are currently at Alert Level I are Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura, La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.
Maximum occupancy per table is fixed at 10 persons (exterior) and 4 persons (interior). All food and drink must be consumed at the table with customers correctly seated and maintaining the 2m security distance. Masks must be used at all times except when eating or drinking.
Since dancing is still not on the approved list of activities, the establishments must either tape off the dance floor or place tables on it without exceeding maximum occupancy.
The good news is that other establishments in the hospitality sector may remain open until 2am as well if their opening licence allows.
Other social activities such as leisure and sporting events with less than 750 in attendance may also gather without the need to request prior authorization from the Canarian Health Services.
These new measures will be published in the Canarian Bulletin and it looks as though more restrictions will be lifted on 18th June 2021. Hopefully these are positive steps toward this “new normal” we keep hearing about.
