The increase of contagions of this sixth wave of covid is once again hitting the hospitality industry, which will have to reduce its indoor capacity to 30 percent in the 14 municipalities that this week are at risk level 4 very high, including Murcia and Cartagena.
The new measure has been announced this Monday by the Minister of Health, Juan José Pedreño, after the meeting of the Covid Monitoring Committee, in which new restrictions have been decided in view of the advance of the contagions and the increase in the incidence of up to 50 percent in the last week.
Pedreño reported that the Region has gone from having an incidence of 434 cases per 100,000 people to 14 days and 257 to 7 days, which means that it has gone from level 1 low to level 2 medium risk.
However, the situation in 14 municipalities is much more complicated, as they are at risk level 4 very high, including Murcia, Cartagena, Alcantarilla, Alhama de Murcia, Abarán, Cieza, Fortuna, Fuente Álamo, Jumilla, Lorquí, San Pedro del Pinatar, Torre Pacheco, Totana and La Unión.
In these cases, the capacity inside the hostelry is reduced to 30 percent, except if the owners of the establishments ask for the covid certificate, which could increase the capacity to one hundred percent. The 100 percent capacity will only be maintained in outdoor areas and terraces without a covid certificate, where the risk of contagion is much lower. In nightlife, however, in these municipalities the capacity will not be able to go above 30% and it will be compulsory to ask customers for a covid certificate.
The health authorities indicate that 12 other municipalities are at level 3, which limits indoor capacity to 50 per cent in hotels and restaurants. A further 15 localities are at risk level 2 medium, limiting indoor capacity to 75 percent, as in the four that are at level 1 low (Cehegín, Pliego, Ojós and Ulea).
In view of this situation, the Regional Ministry of Health has approached the local councils in the Region to increase controls through the local police in order to comply with the safety measures, while at the same time asking hotel and catering establishments to indicate by means of signs on the doors of their establishments the measures in force, such as the use of the covid certificate and the obligation to wear a mask when not consuming.
