The president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has said this Thursday in his end-of-year message that his wish is to call regional elections «as late as possible» in 2022 and has guaranteed that in the time remaining until the elections his government «will not sit on its hands» and will do «everything in my power» to improve both health and public services.
Moreno addressed the Andalusians from the ‘Taberna Granados’, a hotel and catering business in the centre of Granada that will be 100 years old in 2022, in recognition of «one of the sectors that has suffered most severely from the consequences of the pandemic» of the Covid-19 coronavirus and that «is knowing how to adapt to the new reality in an exemplary manner».
The beginning of the speech of the President of the Junta focused on the memory of the «suffering and pain» caused by the coronavirus in Andalusia in 2021, which he symbolised in «the more than 6,300 Andalusians» who died in the year due to the pandemic, for which he urged the Andalusians to «continue to be prudent» due to the irruption of the omicron variant, which he described as «very contagious».
Moreno insisted that «we should not be confident» despite the «high level of vaccination» in Andalusia, which is why he called on the population to take measures such as «masks, social distance and frequent hand washing».
The president proclaimed that «Andalusia is, at the moment, among the territories in the world with the highest vaccination coverage», which he corroborated with data such as the 15 and a half million vaccines administered, that 93% of those over 12 years of age have two doses of the vaccine and that there are already more than 200,000 children between 5 and 12 years of age with one dose.
Moreno called for «maintaining and increasing the rate of vaccination of children and the third dose for adults of all ages», at which point he recalled his request to the government that «between all of us we make an extra effort to accelerate the rate of vaccination».
The Andalusian president addressed those who have not been vaccinated, convinced that if they do so «we can get on with an almost normal life that allows us to maintain economic activity». Moreno expressed his desire for Andalusia to continue to be «the desired destination for millions of tourists and a first class centre for the aeronautical industry».
«BEING RESPONSIBLE, ANDALUSIA WILL REACH RECOVERY SOONER AND BETTER».
The President of the Junta has identified common sense as «a fundamental weapon against the pandemic», convinced that «if we continue to be responsible, Andalusia will reach recovery much sooner and much better».
Moreno spoke of the impact of the pandemic on the health system, pointing out that «never before has it been subjected to such great stress», and in spite of this he stressed that «our hospitals are resisting the sixth wave well» because «the level of occupancy on the ward and in the ICU remains, for the moment, at levels that are acceptable».
The Andalusian president made a year-on-year comparison to underline that «a year ago, out of every 100 people infected, 10 had to be admitted» while «now, out of every 100 infections, only two people are admitted to hospital».
«We have to thank, once again and always, the work of our health workers», said Moreno, who highlighted «their tireless dedication, their personal sacrifice», to which he added the work of the Andalusian government: «we have opened six new hospitals and five new health centres in Andalusia».
«IT IS NEVER ENOUGH WHEN IT COMES TO IMPROVING PUBLIC HEALTH».
The Andalusian president, who considered that «it is never enough when it comes to improving public health», stressed that «the Andalusian health system is better today than it was in the past» and has put on the table «my commitment that I will do everything in my power to ensure that in the future our health system is even better».
In his assessment of the Andalusian government’s almost three years in office, Moreno highlighted the 1.4 billion euros allocated to «workers in the countryside and the sea, shopkeepers, the self-employed, workers in ERTE, entrepreneurs and a wide range of organisations to help them to move forward.
Moreno, who mentioned the continuity of 12,000 of the 20,000 health professionals who were hired as reinforcements to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, also alluded to the 7,000 professionals hired in education, to reiterate that «the government over which I preside does everything possible to improve public services every day with the resources we have», a statement followed by a reproach to the government: «Everything would be easier if the Spanish government renewed the Covid Fund for 2022».
With the reference to 2022 bringing «good news about regional funding» and the demand that «Andalusia must receive the same money from the State as the rest of Spain», Moreno presented the Andalusian Government «like the farmer who works his land waiting for sowing time to come».
Moreno urged Andalusians to «demand that politicians make a greater effort to reach an agreement» with the aim of «guaranteeing equality between Spaniards», for which he assured that «Andalusia, rest assured, will always remain vigilant to ensure that no one’s claims result in privileges for a few».
«I WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR PARTNER IN GOVERNMENT FOR THEIR LOYALTY».
Moreno remarked that the Autonomous Community «today has a stable government, and I believe that this political calm has contributed to a great extent to achieving successes that we only dreamed of before», for which he proclaimed his conviction that «a large part of this success is due to the political stability that Andalusia has enjoyed over the last three years, and I would like to thank our government partner for its loyalty and responsibility».
After affirming the benefits of political stability, Moreno went on to describe aspects such as the leadership in self-employment and in the export of Andalusian products, and then predicted that «everything indicates that Andalusia will grow this year more than the average for Spain».
Moreno considered that this aspect «is fundamental», as «Andalusia has always been behind» and called for «getting closer to the most prosperous regions and being, in the future, the locomotive of Spain».
REMEMBRANCE OF THE EIGHT WOMEN VICTIMS OF GENDER VIOLENCE
Moreno recalled in his speech that «in 2021, eight women victims of male violence died in Andalusia» and assured that «their memory is very present» to then offer «a firm commitment to continue fighting against this scourge and against all types of physical and psychological violence that occur in our society».
Moreno’s speech also included a reference to the environment, pointing out that «in recent months we have clearly seen that the effects of climate change are already real» and pointing to the Sierra Bermeja fire as a milestone in the environmental disaster that Andalusia has suffered, which he recalled as «one of the worst fires in our history» and insisting that «Andalusia is the region of Europe most vulnerable to climate change».
Moreno closed his speech by calling for «confidence in the Andalusian Government, from which I can promise maximum commitment» and also called for «confidence in yourselves, individual confidence and confidence in Andalusia as a people, as the great people that we are, capable of overcoming the worst historical adversities, in solidarity with the rest of Spaniards, a hard-working people with enormous talent».
«Let us have hope», reiterated the President of the Junta, who considered that «the recovery is slow, but steady».