John Culatto
THE elderly of Gibraltar will not be allowed to leave their homes for 30 days, the Chief Minister revealed today.
Fabian Picardo said that the lockdown for under-70s would probably be extended next week.
Extensions to the COVID-19 measures came as recoveries soared to 104 with active cases down to 25.
The continuation of the rules followed a meeting between the Cabinet and leaders of the Opposition on April 14.
“It’s clear that we do appear to have slowed the progress of the virus in our community,” said Picardo.
“This is no doubt assisted also by the lockdowns in place in the United Kingdom, Spain and Morocco, the nations with which we have direct maritime links.
“As we look forward, we’ve been considering not just their impact, but also how we would be able to end the lockdown or the closure of businesses and schools.”
Gibraltar’s charismatic leader said the aim was ‘to save lives’ as 120,000 deaths were recorded worldwide.
“I want to be clear to all businesses, and to every citizen in our community that we do not presently see circumstances leading to an immediate change in the rules in the next seven days,” said Picardo.
“But we owe it to you to keep these extraordinary measures under constant review and not take that continuation for granted, or one moment longer than is necessary.”
Privacy concerns could be raised after the Gibraltar Government said it was looking at contact tracing via mobile phones.
More random testing, vaccines and medication are also being reviewed to fight COVID-19.
The Chief Minister spoke with Wendy Morton and wished Prime Minister Boris Johnson the best wishes for his recovery after leaving hospital.
Forces report in
In response to Olive Press questions, Commander British Forces Tim Henry said the military help to Gibraltar has been ‘a great success’.
He was speaking of the help made to Gibraltar after the MACA (Military Aid to the Civil Authority) request.
It led to troops helping create the Nightingale Facility and swabbing teams working at the Rooke drive-thru testing.
“We’re ready to do more and whatever is needed to defeat the virus,” said Henry.
“So far we’ve not drawn one tenth of what is available and required or available in Gibraltar.
“I’m confident that if Gibraltar needed more from the UK, we could draw on that.
“In fact, last week, we had some medical specialists come out and spend some time with the GHA.”
