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ARCHIVED - Covid passport will be maintained in Alicante until February 28
The Valencian Society of Preventive Medicine is calling for additional restrictions to curb rising infections
The mandatory requirement of a Covid passport to enter bars, restaurants and other venues will be maintained in the Valencia region until February 28.
This is the second time the measure has been extended in the region following approval from the Superior Court of Justice to maintain the Covid certificate after the current deadline of January 31.
And whilst the Valencian President, Ximo Puig, has ruled out further restrictions for the moment, the Valencian Society of Preventive Medicine is calling for additional measures to curb rising infections and prevent the health system from becoming "even more overloaded", whilst the hospitality sector has deemed the move "useless" and "detrimental" to the sector.
The Covid passport was introduced mid-December last year and does not appear to have had a positive impact on contagion. In fact, there have been 174,174 new cases of coronavirus in Alicante province alone since its introduction, compared to 8,338 in the two months before the measure came into force.
However, Puig has argued that it has encouraged many undecided people to get vaccinated, specifically 132,000 people across the region.
But not everybody is in favour of the Covid certificate.
"The covid passport is an aesthetic measure. Two months ago it gave more peace of mind in the knowledge that if everyone was vaccinated in an enclosed space, contagion was more complicated," said Juan Francisco Navarro, president of the Valencian Society of Preventive Medicine.
But he argues that the Omicron variant has changed the dynamics of the pandemic, and as such, the Society is calling for additional measures.
"We are not talking about the harsh restrictions of a year ago, but we are in January and things can be done, for example limiting and making nightlife more reasonable".
The region's 14-day cumulative incidence rate has risen to more than 4,000 cases per 100,000 people and everything indicates that this sixth wave has reached its peak.
But the drop in infections must be rapid, warns Navarro.
"If we do nothing, the incidence will remain above 1,500 cases for many weeks and this will translate into a trail of admissions and deaths".
GPs also believe that with the current high incidence, it is essential to accelerate the vaccination of the non-jabbed or fully immunised groups, to carry out a higher number of tests to detect positive cases and to insist on prevention measures, especially indoor ventilation.
"We should make it cheaper and encourage the purchase of CO2 meters in enclosed spaces where many people are going to congregate," said Javier Blanquer, vice-president of the Valencian Society of Family Medicine.
Meanwhile, the hospitality industry has blasted the use of the Covid passport, arguing "it has served no purpose at all", and criticised the regional government for "passing onto us the work that it should be doing itself", according to President of the Alicante Restaurant Association (ARA), César Anca.
But Puig remains steadfast, claiming that despite the substantial increase in infections caused by the Omicron variant in the last month, hospital admissions are currently 2.5 times lower than a year ago and there are three times fewer patients in Intensive Care Units.
Also of interest: How to book a Covid vaccine in Spain and How to get a Covid passport in Spain
Image: Archive
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