Covid passports extended to end of February

THE regional government has applied to Valencia’s High Court to extend the use of the Covid DIgital Certificate for entry to all types of hospitality establishments, as well as other indoor venues.

In a press conference this morning, regional president, Ximo Puig, announced that he was applying for the restrictions to be maintained in all bars and restaurants, regardless of their capacity, as well as cinemas, gyms and sports centres. The final decision will be confirmed by the TSJCV, the highest court in the region, and the restriction would be in force until 28 February.

Puig was accompanied by regional Health Minister, Ana Barceló, and the announcement came following a meeting of the Interdepartmental Covid-19 Prevention and Action Group.

He said the requirement to show the covid passport, which would be under the same conditions as it has been until now, “Has encouraged thousands of Valencians to get vaccinated.” Specifically, he said that since the measure was introduced two months ago 132,000 first doses of the vaccine had been given to people who were unvaccinated, which is 2% of the total population.

He also mentioned the reopening next Monday, 31 January, of two mass vaccination centres in Valencia’s City of Arts and Sciences, and in the Field Hospital alongside Alicante’s General Hospital. They join the other four centres already up and running in Castellón, Gandia, Paterna and Mislata.

Puig said that the government’s priority now was to ramp up booster jabs, and the vaccination of children as well as strengthening primary care services “to normalize its running, beyond Covid-19”.

He said that the region had already given 2.1 million booster jabs, putting it above the national average in all age ranges, and likewise the region is above the average for child vaccinations,

Finally, he reiterated the importance of receiving the vaccine to “protect health, free up the hospital system and live normally” and added that despite the increase in infections from the Omicron variant “hospitalisations of the vaccinated population are 2.5 times lower than at the worst time of the pandemic and ICU occupancy is three times lower”.