Simon Wade
EXTRA police visits to nightclubs have been promised this weekend by Valencian Community president, Ximo Puig, in order to control the spread of Covid-19 across the region.
Puig’s move came as he emphasised that the Costa Blanca was safe for both domestic and foreign tourists.
Ximo Puig said: “We are launching a targeted push from this weekend to make sure that night venues are following all of the rules to keep the number of new coronavirus cases down.”
He admitted that “There is no zero risk but the measures are about generating maximum safety.”
The majority of recent new COVID-19 cases across the Valencian Community have been generated amongst younger people visiting night clubs, with the largest outbreak surrounding a venue in Gandia on the northern Costa Blanca.
Issues over capacity along the flouting of social distancing and mask wearing at the clubs have contributed to the case rises.
Puig staged a virtual conference with locally-based representatives from 26 countries and told them that the Valencia region was a “safe and trustworthy” holiday destination.
“Our coronavirus case figures are well below the national average”, Puig emphasised.
And in a dig at the UK’s quarantine rules introduced for travellers returning from Spain, he said that the Costa Blanca has around 10 cases per 100,000 citizens, while Britain ranges between 14 and 20 cases per 100,000..
Puig said that €10 million has been spent on the region’s beaches and over 1,000 extra “beach assistants” had been hired to monitor safety during the summer,
Other measures introduced in the area include the reservation of over 100 free hotel rooms to accommodate any tourists that present with COVID-19 symptoms.
